Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy

Lynley Dodd

Puffin, 2023

36pp., hbk., RRP $A16.99

9781776957019

Long, long ago in 2008 when I first began to review books for littlies, one of the first I wrote was this…

“Remember this … “Out of the gate and off for a walk went Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy …” and by the time you got to the end of the book he had been joined by his mates Hercules Morse (as big as a horse; Bottomley Potts (covered in spots); Muffin McLay (like a bundle of hay); Bitzer Maloney (all skinny and bony); and Schnitzel von Krumm (with a very low tum). How proud and posh they were until they met …  Almost every child born in New Zealand or Australia in the last 25 years knows what happens next! Who could bring down such a bold band of brothers?

Children love the sound of the rhythmic and rhyming language and the repetition of the characters on each page which make it a perfect read-aloud  as your listeners will be joining in and eagerly anticipating who will join this canine crew., as well as enjoying the pictures which work with the text perfectly, as they should.

There are few children’s books that can celebrate their 25th anniversary, and even though it may make some of us feel really old, we must congratulate Lynley Dodd on this incredible achievement. Hairy Maclary is a timeless character, and I know from personal experience that he is just as popular with today’s littlies as he was with their parents.

And now that little scruffy Skye terrier is 40!!! 

First published in 1983, not only does he have his own entry in the official New Zealand History Nga korero a ipurangi o Aotearoa but he and his friends have their own statue in Tauranga (which regular readers of this blog will know that I chose to visit instead of going to Hobbiton.)

 

And befitting one of superior age and influence, this new release is an upsized edition all ready to entrance a whole new generation of readers – beginning their friendship with Hairy and all his friends through many adventures, as they enjoy one of the most iconic series for young readers ever written.  

When I wrote that first review, my son (with whom I shared the original) was sharing it with his Miss 2.  It is likely that by the time the next anniversary edition is released, she will be sharing it with her own children.  Four generations and counting…