''Hairy Maclary and Friends'' is a series of children's picture books created by New Zealand author and illustrator Dame Lynley Dodd. The popular series has sold over five million copies worldwide. The character Hairy Maclary made his first appearance in 1983 in the book titled ''Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy''. He is the protagonist in twelve books in the series, and there are a further nine books about his friends. Hairy Maclary's adventures are usually in the company of his other dog friends who include an English Mastiff named Hercules Morse, a Dalmatian (dog), Dalmatian named Bottomley Potts, an Old English Sheepdog named Muffin McLay, a Greyhound named Bitzer Maloney and a Dachshund named Schnitzel Von Krumm. The series also features a belligerent soft grey tabby named Scarface Claw, their formidable opponent, a black cat named Slinky Malinki and a Duck, duckling named Zachary Quack. According to the books' website, Hairy Maclary is "a small dog of mixed pedigree". Dodd has described him as a mix of terriers that she knows, "an animated bottlebrush" and "a caricature rather than a real dog". However, Hairy Maclary does strike some resemblance to a Scottish terrier.

Description

Hairy Maclary books are designed to be read by an adult to a child. The plots are simple, in keeping with the comprehension level of the age group for which they are written. They generally involve Hairy and his friends in adventurous scenarios pitched against local cats. The animals in this series, unlike the creatures of Beatrix Potter's stories, are not given human thoughts and motives; their actions tell the stories, and reflect their animal natures. Each double-sided page has an illustration on one side and text on the other. The pictures and the written words together tell the story, and the illustrations and their meanings are as important as the text. Dodd stated that "in a picture book it is very important that text and picture should fit together perfectly; in mood, style and sympathy—a partnership in which each enhances the other." The books have a wide format that 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 with simple rhymes like "Bottomley Potts covered in spots, Hercules Morse as big as a horse". Characters, events and language are repetitive and cumulative, in the manner of "Old MacDonald, Old MacDonald had a farm". Each book contains a twist or some sort of conclusion at the end. Although the books are designed to entertain young children, they are not intended as "early readers". 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's vocabulary but must be understood by the child in the context in which they occur. For example, the noise made by a stranded cat and the excited dogs who discover it is described as a "cacophony". Dodd enjoys using unusual words in the books. Criticised once by a reviewer for using the word 'bellicose' about Hairy Maclary, Dodd replied that she was 'unrepentant', saying "if we spend our time writing only language appropriate to the age of the reader, they will never learn anything new. How boring!" Lynley 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. 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 at the bottom of a lamppost, burrowing into a hedge, barking at some birds, raiding a garbage can and hiding in grass with some sunflowers next to him. 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.

Adaptations and legacy

In the 1990s, a television series featuring ten five-minute episodes based on the series premiered. In 2015, a sculpture of Hairy Maclary and other characters from the books was officially unveiled on the waterfront in Tauranga (the home of Lynley Dodd) by former prime minister John Key. In the 2019 TVNZ series ''Goodnight Kiwi (TV series), Goodnight Kiwi'', prime minister Jacinda Ardern read ''Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy''; the episode aired on TVNZ 2 on Christmas Day. Foreign language editions of the Hairy Maclary books have been published in Sweden, Japan, Slovenia, Russia, Korea and China.

Books in the series

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy

First published in 1983. It has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and been translated into Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Swedish, Russian, Slovene - and te reo Māori. It has also been adapted into a stage play, which has been put on at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Sydney Opera House.

Hairy Maclary's Bone

First published in 1984, In this book, Hairy Maclary is given a tasty bone from town butcher Samuel Stone and must get back to Donaldson's Dairy with it while fending off his five doggie chums - Hercules Morse the English Mastiff, Muffin McLay the Old English Sheepdog, Bitzer Maloney the Greyhound, Bottomley Potts the Dalmatian (dog), Dalmatian and Schnitzel Von Krumm the Dachshund (with the very low tum).

Hairy Maclary Scattercat

The third book of the series was first published in 1985. In this book, Hairy Maclary has fun chasing all the cats in the neighborhood until he meets Scarface Claw, the toughest tom in town. Dodd featured her black cat Wooskit, which she had for 13 years, in many of her early books. In ''Hairy Maclary Scattercat'', Wooskit was more prominent than in prior books. In subsequent books, the cat was renamed ''Slinky Malinki''. Five books featured ''Slinky Malinki''; during that time, Dodd got a new cat named Suu Kyi.

Hairy Maclary's Caterwaul Caper

It was first published in 1987 and is the fourth title in the ''Hairy Maclary'' series.

Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the Vet

It was first published in 1989.

Slinky Malinki

First published in 1990, 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. Malinki is based on Dodd's cat, Wooskit, who was with her for 13 years. ''The Guardian'' lists Malinki amongst the top ten cats in children's fiction. Original artwork of him has been part of a travelling exhibition over a number of years, and he is part of a sculpture of some of Dodd's characters at Tauranga.

Hairy Maclary's Showbusiness

It was first published in 1991.

Slinky Malinki Open The Door

First published in 1993, featuring the mischievous cat, Slinky Malinki. Written for pre-school children, with rhythmic, rhyming text it has become a best-selling bedtime storybook in New Zealand. Slinky Malinki has a parrot friend called Stickybeak Syd, and together they open doors in their house and get into mischief. It has been recommended to educators for the incorporation of instruments during story time. After the 2000 US presidential election had been described as a 'schmozzle', Dodd's use of the word 'shemozzle' in this book was discussed in US media, with the following verse quoted:

Schnitzel von Krumm’s Basketwork

It was first published in 1994.

Schnitzel von Krumm Forget-Me-Not

It was first published in 1996.

Hairy Maclary, Sit

It was first published in 1997.

Slinky Malinki Catflaps

It was first published in 1998.

Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack

First published in 1999, is one of a well-known series of books by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd featuring Hairy Maclary. In 2000 it won the Children's Choice Award at the New Zealand Post Book Awards. The book is written with rhythmic, rhyming text and is popular with pre-school age children. In 2000, won the Children's Choice Award at the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Schnitzel von Krumm, Dogs Never Climb Trees

It was first published in 2002.

Scarface Claw

It was first published in 2001.

Zachary Quack Minimonster

First published in 2005, a reviewer of a board book edition of ''Zachary Quack Minimonster'' wrote: "It is the perfect way to encourage visual literacy and teach kids how to follow a story – and what an enjoyable way to create our future readers." In 2006 the book was named a Storylines Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand Notable Books List, Notable Picture Book by the Storylines Trust and Foundation.

Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers

Hairy Maclary's Hat Tricks

Hairy Maclary, Shoo

Slinky Malinki Early Bird

First published in 2012, is one of a well-known series of books by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd featuring Hairy Maclary. The book is written with rhythmic, rhyming text and is popular with pre-school age children. Slinky Malinki wakes the whole family early, and then goes back to sleep, leaving everyone awake and complaining. It has been described as "Slinky Malinki's best caper yet." It was named a Storylines Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand Notable Books List, Storylines Notable Book in 2013.

Scarface Claw, Hold Tight

References

External links

Hairy Maclary at Penguin Books New Zealand
{{Authority control Animal tales Children's books about dogs Book series introduced in 1983 Characters in children's literature Hairy Maclary New Zealand children's literature Picture books Series of children's books Kiwiana