Hairy Maclary and Friends facts for kids
Hairy Maclary and Friends Logo
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Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy Hairy Maclary's Bone Hairy Maclary Scattercat Hairy Maclary's Caterwaul Caper Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the Vet Slinky Malinki Hairy Maclary's Showbusiness Slinky Malinki Open The Door Schnitzel von Krumm’s Basketwork Schnitzel von Krumm Forget-Me-Not Hairy Maclary, Sit Slinky Malinki Catflaps Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack Schnitzel von Krumm, Dogs Never Climb Trees Scarface Claw Zachary Quack Minimonster Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers Hairy Maclary's Hat Tricks Hairy Maclary, Shoo Slinky Malinki Early Bird Scarface Claw, Hold Tight |
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| Author | Lynley Dodd |
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| Illustrator | Lynley Dodd |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's, picture books |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
Hairy Maclary and Friends is a popular series of picture books for children. These books were created by the talented New Zealand author and illustrator Dame Lynley Dodd. The series has been a huge success, selling over five million copies around the world!
The main character, Hairy Maclary, first appeared in 1983 in the book Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. He stars in twelve books in the series. There are also nine other books that focus on his many animal friends.
Contents
Meet Hairy Maclary and His Friends
Hairy Maclary is described as "a small dog of mixed pedigree." He loves adventures, often with his animal friends.
His friends include:
- Schnitzel von Krumm, a dachshund
- Bottomley Potts, a dalmatian
- Bitzer Maloney, a greyhound-cross
- Hercules Morse, a mastiff
- Muffin McLay, an Old English sheepdog
Their biggest challenge often comes from a tough tomcat named Scarface Claw.
The World of Hairy Maclary Books
The Hairy Maclary books are designed for adults to read aloud to younger children. The stories are simple and easy to follow. They usually involve Hairy and his friends getting into fun adventures, often with local cats. Unlike some animal stories, these animals act like real animals. Their actions show the story, not human thoughts.
Each book has a picture on one page and text on the other. The pictures and words work together to tell the story. The illustrations are just as important as the words. The books are wide, so a child sitting next to an adult can easily see the pictures while the story is read.
The text is written in a fun, rhyming style. It flows easily with simple rhymes like "Bottomley Potts covered in spots, Hercules Morse as big as a horse." The characters and events often repeat, which helps young children guess what comes next and even say the words along with the reader.
Here's an example of the rhythmic verse:
"Schnitzel von Krumm
with a very low tum,
Bitzer Maloney
all skinny and bony,
Muffin McLay
like a bundle of hay,
Bottomley Potts
covered in spots,
Hercules Morse
as big as a horse
and Hairy Maclary
from Donaldson's Dairy"
Even though the stories are simple, the books introduce children to some longer, more descriptive words. For example, a loud noise made by a cat and excited dogs might be called a "cacophony." This helps children learn new words by understanding them in the story's context.
Lynley Dodd's Amazing Illustrations
Lynley Dodd's drawings are very detailed and look like real life. You can often tell the exact breeds of dogs, the types of houses, and even the plants in the gardens. The stories feel like they happen in a real neighborhood. For instance, Hairy Maclary's house has a red roof and a garden with a frangipani tree and a picket fence.
The pictures often show things that aren't directly in the text. This encourages children and adults to look closely and talk about what's happening. In the first book, the repeated line "...and Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy" goes with pictures of Hairy sniffing a lamp-post, digging in a hedge, barking at birds, or looking in a garbage can. The illustrations also cleverly show tiny glimpses of characters from the previous page, like a nose or a tail, as they enter or leave the scene.
Hairy Maclary in Pop Culture
The popularity of Hairy Maclary has led to other exciting projects:
- TV Series: In the 1990s, a TV show based on the books premiered. It had ten five-minute episodes.
- Sculpture: In 2015, a sculpture of Hairy Maclary and his friends was officially revealed in Tauranga, New Zealand. It stands on the waterfront and was unveiled by the former New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key.
- Prime Minister Reads: In 2019, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, read Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy as part of the TVNZ series Goodnight Kiwi. This episode aired on TVNZ 2 on Christmas Day.
