Customer Reviews

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy

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Hairy McCleary from Donaldson's Dairy is the first in a long series of books from one of the most popular children's authors in New Zealand. Her writing style of rhyming verse should be popular with fans of Dr. Seuss.

In this book, Hairy McCleary is joined by a slew of other dogs (some have their own books) as they explore down the street. But a terrible cat gets in the way of their doggy behavior.

The book is nicely illustrated with full-page illustrations. The verse follows patterned rhymes and the list of dogs is repeated each time a new one joins up. The repetition and simple plot make it good for younger readers and it sets the stage for many other adventures. All in all it is like of combination of BISCUIT (Alyssa Satin Capucilli) with its repetitiveness and ANGUS AND THE DUCKS (Marjorie Flack) with its resolution of curiosity.

As an expat New Zealander now living in the US I am delighted to finally be able to get these books here.
I have been reading them to kids for 15 years and now have a son of my own and he already has the entire collection of Hairy Maclary related books (14 and Counting....)
This is one of my all time favourite books. Every child I have read or given these to has become addicted to that scruffy black dog. His is an everyday New Zealand kind of life. The illustrations are typical NZ scenery, great for those who have been there and remember fondly the backdrop to these great tales.
Lynley Dodd has also written several other great kids books, so check her out on the web. The other reviews tell you how great the book is, I wanted to let you know that if you love this book there are many more to discover.

Lynley Dodd's rhyming text and pictures make for a fabulous read that will rank among your child's favorite read alouds if not THE favorite. My sister has been sending me Lynley Dodd's books directly from New Zealand for years and my kids STILL talk about them, repeating line after line of the memorized text from so many years ago and still enjoy hearing them as they are shared with their younger siblings. This is the first book of many with the same characters (Schnitzel von Krumm with a very low tum, Bitzer Maloney all skinny and bony, Bottomly Potts covered in spots, Hercules Morse as big as a horse, Muffin McLay like a bundle of hay and of course, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy.) You will love these dogs. And you will also meet Scarface Claw. Great gifts.. holidays, birthdays, and births!

This book is legendary in our family - we live in the place God would choose for a holiday! -Noosa, Australia. When we take Henry (7) and Tom (4)walking with Sophie(English Springer Spaniel) we run into so many other dogs - the boys always tell me "who" these dogs are according to the Lynley Dodd stories. We quite often run into 'Muffin McLay' and 'Barnacle Beasley' and there is great excitement whenever we see 'Hercules Morse as big as a horse' or 'Schnitzel Von Crumm with a very low tum'. To deny your children these stories is to starve them from essential nutrients for the imagination! - The Callaghans love these stories - Thankyou Lynley Dodd for making our dog walking a magical experience!!!!!

This is the first of the "Hairy Maclary" books. And while it's not the best "Hairy Maclary" book (my favorites are HAIRY MACLARY'S RUMPUS AT THE VET, HAIRY MACLARY'S CATERWAUL CAPER, and SLINKY MALINKI), it's an essential "Hairy Maclary" book; it's the one where all the major characters are introduced. In fact, that's pretty much all the book is, an extremely entertaining introduction--and that's not a bad thing at all! We meet among others, Harry Maclary "from Donaldson's Dairy" (some sort of terrier), Bottomley Potts "covered in spots" (dalmation), and Muffin McLay "like a bundle of hay" (English sheepdog). Once the dogs are all introduced, they head to town where they run into Scarface Claw, "the toughest Tom in town", who frightens them all away. My son, who is two and a half, really loves this book. He is always on alert for Schnitzel von Krumms (dachschunds) and Muffin McLays when we go out for walks. Also, we've been inspired from time to time to make up our own rhymes about these dogs. Bitzer Maloney, for example, "loves to eat baloney". And Hercules Morse "eats roast beef, of course". It's hard not to love a book that can do all that for you!

Hairy Maclary will become a leading member of the group `Friends from Books' for any small child and his grownups who are lucky enough to read this book. He is a canine character they can recognize. Every neighbourhood has a small, cheerful,

scruffy dog. He hangs out with a group of friends who walk downtown undisturbed until they meet the aggressive tomcat "Scarface Claw the toughest tom in town" and run home for safety and security.

This is described in wonderful marching rhyme using words and names that sing off the tongue. Reading this story aloud is an upbeat experience for both the adult reader and the child who will quickly join in, repeating the list of names.

Much of the magic for children comes from the clever artwork which picks up the characteristics of the different breeds. They will look for and recognize "Bottomley Potts all covered in spots' and "Schnitzel von Krumm with a very low tum" in their own world. And of course in communities where they have opportunities, dogs do make canine friends and socialize in groups irrespective of size and breed.

I help out in a small community library where "Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy" is one of the well thumbed, always out, books.

I have bought this book for grandchildren who live on the other side of the Pacific confident that the universal appeal of the characters and the rhythmic text will please and delight both the recipients and their parents

My sons - 4 years old and 18 months both adore this book. The rhyming text keeps them engrossed as I animatedly read about the adventures of Hairy Maclary and his friends. My 4 year old asks lots of questions about the different dogs that are introduced, so it is also very educational.

This book, and others in the series, are among my children's favourite books, not to mention mine, too. They can't get enough of Hairy Maclary & co. Our copies of these books have been read and read and read and read.

(so this is more a review of the series than the individual book....)

They are written as verse, using magnificent, evocative language. Some of the words are ones children won't know, but read in verse, they certainly get the message (eg "Hairy Maclary felt bumptious and bustly"). I thoroughly enjoyed reading them too - there's a great sense of theatre about reading these books.

I know of a media training firm that used reading a Lynley Dodd book out loud as a tool to get stitched-up execs to relax - they figured - rightly - that absolutely no one could read it without expression.

We borrowed one of the books for a week when my son was 2.5 years old. Two months later I was surprised to hear him reciting a couple of pages of the book - the language has that kind of magic (and yes I then bought it!). Another surprise bonus is that children like to hear just the stories - so I've been able to dredge a Hairy Maclary out of my mind to recite to the kids for those times when you've been unexpectedly held up (eg a queue at the supermarket) and have to keep them out of trouble.

The pictures are delightful too.

The stories are simple enough to be enjoyed by very young children (with language that lets the book be enjoyed for a while yet). There's a real sense of joy in simple things - like getting your buddies together and walking down town. They make good use of repetition and the "climax" in most stories is fun to read.

I would recommend this for reading aloud to children from two and a half until they start school. They won't grow out of Hairy Maclary too fast! This is definite value for money.

It will be a sad, sad day for me when my kids decide they are too old for Hairy Maclary... and when I'm old and grey, I'll still have "Out of the gate and off for a walk..." embedded in my mind for my grandkids!

These are great fun books, sly and funny which kids and adults can both enjoy. Lynley Dodds writes and illustrates this series of books, which I think began with this one and so you can find the same characters in other books too. The rhymes are great, and they are repeated so littlies quickly get the idea of what is coming next.

Hairy Mclary is a little terrier, he has his friends Hercules morse, Bitzer Maloney, Bottomley Potts, and Schitzel von Krum for company.

We keep the collection of these books about Hairy Mclary and his friends at home for the kids. We started reading them from an early age as the pictures are bright and it seems to appeal to them. My 3 year old is now 'reading' them herself. She knows the rhymes and is interested in the letters as well as the pictures. They love flicking through them.

Good for ages up to around 5 (and I would hightly recommend the Schnitzel von Krum books if you are buying more than one!)

I love this book. I won this book as a readathon prize 20 years ago when I was seven. I think the target audience for this book is probably more likely to be kids aged 3-6. It was a definite favorite of my little brother's - he learnt the words off by heart before he could read. It is also a favorite of my nieces and nephews, and I have just ordered one for my baby who is due any day now. The really fantastic thing about this book is that it is actually a fun read for adults too - If my nieces ask me to read them a book I always grab a Hairy Maclary. They are just the right length, and have enough of a storyline to keep you entertained as well.