Hairy Maclary
Encyclopedia
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
of a series of children's X-Rated picture book
Picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
s created by the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
author Lynley Dodd
Lynley Dodd
Dame Lynley Stuart Dodd, DNZM is a prominent author of children’s books from New Zealand.She is best known for her “Hairy Maclary” series, and its follow-ups, all of which feature animals with rhyming names, and received a DNZM in 2001 for "services to children's literature and book...
, and making his first appearance in 1983 with the publication of Hairy Maclary From Donaldson’s Dairy
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy
Hairy Maclary From Donaldson’s Dairy first published in 1983, is the first and most well-known of a series of books by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd featuring Hairy Maclary. His adventures are usually in the company of his other animal friends who include the dachshund Schnitzel von Krumm. His...
.
Hairy Maclary is the protagonist of twelve books in the series, and a further nine are about his friends. The series has sold over five million copies worldwide. His adventures are usually in the company of his other animal friends who include the dachshund
Dachshund
The dachshund is a short-legged, long-bodied dog breed belonging to the hound family. The standard size dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature dachshund was developed to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits...
Schnitzel von Krumm, dalmatian
Dalmatian (dog)
The Dalmatian is a breed of dog whose roots are often said to trace back to Dalmatia, a region of Croatia where the first illustrations of the dog have been found. The Dalmatian is noted for its unique black- or brown-spotted coat and was mainly used as a carriage dog in its early days...
Bottomley Potts and Old English sheepdog
Old English Sheepdog
The Old English Sheepdog is a large breed of dog which was developed in England from early herding types of dog. The Old English Sheepdog has very long fur covering the face and eyes...
Muffin McClay. The tomcat
Tomcat
Tomcat may refer to:* A male cat, known as a tom or tommiecat* Tomcats , a 2001 comedy film* Apache Tomcat, an open-source Java Servlet Container developed by the Apache Software Foundation* Beretta Tomcat, a small .32 caliber pistol...
, Scarface Claw
Scarface claw
Scarface Claw is a fictitious tom cat who features in the Hairy Maclary children's stories written by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd. A large, black cat with big yellow eyes and chunks missing from his ears, Scarface has a reputation as the "toughest Tom in town".- Appearances :Scarface Claw is...
is their formidable opponent.
Lynley Dodd has not stated what breed of dog Hairy Maclary is, but he has characteristics of a small terrier, and is possibly cross-bred.
Description
The Hairy Maclary books are picture books that are designed to be shared by an adult reader and a young child. The plots are simple, in keeping with the comprehension of the pre-reading age group for which they are ranged. They generally involve Hairy and his friends in adventurous scenarios pitched against local cats, often with an implication that the cats are more cunning. The animals in this series, unlike the creatures of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
's stories, are not given human thoughts and motives. Their actions tell the stories, and reflect their animal natures.
Each double page has a picture on one side, and writing on the other. The pictures and the written words combine to tell the story, with much anecdotal material appearing within the pictures that is not described in the text. The books have a wide format which enables a child seated beside an adult to have a full view of the picture page while the adult reads.
The text is written in rhythmic verse that flows easily and has simple rhymes like "Bottomley Potts covered in spots, Hercules Morse as big as a horse". Characters, events and therefore language are repetitive and cumulative, after the manner of "Old MacDonald had a farm". Each book contains a twist or some sort of conclusion at the end. The repetitions permit a young child to anticipate what is coming next, and repeat the words.
"Schnitzel von Krumm
with a very low tum,
Bitzer Maloney
all skinny and bony,
Muffin McClay
like a bundle of hay,
Bottomley Potts
covered in spots,
Hercules Morse
as big as a horse
and Hairy Maclary
from Donaldson's Dairy"
Although the books are designed to entertain young children, they are not intended as "early readers", as are, for example, the "Cat in the Hat" books by Doctor Seuss which have a very basic and largely phonic vocabulary. The Hairy Maclary books, despite their simple stories, introduce the listening child to some long but very expressive words which are not part of the average pre-schooler vocabulary, but must be understood by the child in the context in which they occur. For example, the noise a stranded cat and excited dogs who discover it is described as a "cacophony".
Linley Dodd's illustrations are closely observed from life. The breeds of dogs, the types of houses and the plants growing in each garden can generally be identified. The stories seem to exist in a real suburb in the real world. Hairy Maclary's home, for example, has a red corrugated iron roof supported on wooden brackets, and the garden has a frangipani tree, a picket fence and a row of agapanthus
Agapanthus
Agapanthus is the only genus in the subfamily Agapanthoideae of the flowering plant family Amaryllidaceae. The family is in the monocot order Asparagales....
. Each picture promotes investigation and discussion between the child and the reader, as events unfold in the pictures which are not described in the text. In the first book of the series the repeated lines "...and Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy" accompany a series of illustrations showing Hairy Maclary sniffing the bottom of a lamp-post, burrowing into a hedge, barking at some birds and raiding a garbage can. Close observation is encouraged by the inclusion in many of the pictures of a tiny glimpse of the dog who has been named on the previous page, as it approaches or walks out of the picture, showing only the point of a nose or the tip of a tail.
Books in the series
- Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy (1983)
- Hairy Maclary's Bone (1984)
- Hairy Maclary Scattercat (1985)
- Hairy Maclary's Caterwaul Caper (1987)
- Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the Vet (1989)
- Slinky MalinkiSlinky MalinkiSlinky Malinki first published in 1991, is one of a well-known series of books by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd. It features the adventures of the stalking and lurking adventurous cat Slinky Malinki who is a common cat during the day but becomes a thief as night falls.The book is written for...
(1990) - Hairy Maclary's Showbusiness (1991)
- Slinky Malinki Open The DoorSlinky Malinki Open The DoorSlinky Malinki, Open The Door, first published in 1994, is one of the well-known series of books by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd featuring the mischievous cat, Slinky Malinki....
(1993) - Schnitzel von Krumm’s Basketwork (1994)
- Schnitzel von Krumm Forget-Me-Not (1996)
- Slinky Malinki Catflaps (1998)
- Hairy Maclary, Sit (1997)
- Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack (1999)
- Scarface ClawScarface clawScarface Claw is a fictitious tom cat who features in the Hairy Maclary children's stories written by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd. A large, black cat with big yellow eyes and chunks missing from his ears, Scarface has a reputation as the "toughest Tom in town".- Appearances :Scarface Claw is...
(2001) - Schnitzel von Krumm, Dogs Never Climb Trees (2002)
- Zachary Quack Minimonster (2005)
- Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers (2006)
- Hairy Maclary's Hat Tricks (2007)
- Hairy Maclary, Shoo (2009)