Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the Vet (Gold Star First Readers) (Library Binding)

by Lynley Dodd (Author) "Down at the Vet's there were all kinds of pets, with troubles and woes from their ears to their toes..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Here's a rumpus, indeed: this beleaguered vet's office may never fully recover from the chaos that ensues when Cassie the cockatoo plucks a hair from the hide of Hairy Maclary ("from Donaldson's Dairy"). This mischievous deed sets in motion a rambunctious, rhyming riot, as various ailing pets all decide to forgo their restraints and cavort in grand fashion. And just as some semblance of order is about to be restored, the culprit seems ready to strike again. This extended poem forms the basis for that relatively rare commodity, a book that tickles the funnybones of parents and children alike. With its amusing alliteration, fanciful names (Noodle the poodle; Barnacle Beasley, the sore and sorely vexed beagle; "The Poppadum kittens from Parkinson Place") and rapid-fire delivery, Dodd's nonsense verse follows quite nicely in the grand tradition of Messrs. Nash and Lear. The pictures are amiably animated and suitably silly, but watch those wonderful waggish words. Ages 5-7.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-- Hairy Maclary, a small black dog, has his tail nipped by a caged cockatoo and, leaping up, precipitates a lighthearted pet riot in the veterinarian's waiting room. Lively watercolor and ink illustrations are carefully coordinated with a brief, rhymed text. Realistic yet simplified paintings completely fill each left-hand page and face a right-hand page devoted exclusively to text. The animated feeling of these paintings is derived more from expressive animal faces than from a sense of motion. The animals are well observed and neatly individualized. The use of language is delightful, being musical, playful, and colorful. The print is large and appropriate for beginning readers, but the vocabulary may prove intimidating to those same readers. This reads aloud well; however, previous books about Hairy Maclary are stronger as this story is a bit muddled. The vet enters to restore peace to her waiting room, but it is never clear that she succeeds before the punchline, which indicates that the rumpus is about to start anew. --Cynthia Bishop, Onondaga County Public Library, Syracuse, NY
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Gareth Stevens Publishing (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0836826914
• ISBN-13: 978-0836826913
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,795,683 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminiscent of Biscuit and Angus, September 21, 2005

By	Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy: 25th Anniversary Edition Includes CD (Paperback)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The first "Hairy Maclary" book, June 26, 2000

By	"fairfieldann" (Fairfield, Connecticut United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy (Gold Star First Readers) (Library Binding)

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!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every child needs Hairy Maclary, August 15, 2004

By	Keen Bean (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy: 25th Anniversary Edition Includes CD (Paperback)

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!