Hairy Maclary from Donaldsons Dairy

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!

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.

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 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!!!!!