Slinky Malinki is a fictional cat who features in the

Hairy Maclary ''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 appe ...

children's stories written by New Zealand author

Lynley Dodd Dame Lynley Stuart Dodd (born 5 July 1941) is a New Zealand children's book author and illustrator. She is best known for her '' Hairy Maclary and Friends'' series, and its follow-ups, all of which feature animals with rhyming names and have so ...

. Other characters who appear in the books include the Poppadum Kittens, a ginger cat named Butterball Brown, a

Siamese cat The Siamese cat (; แมวสยาม, Maeo Sayam; แมววิเชียรมาศ, Maeo Wichien Maat) is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Asian cat. It derives from the Wichianmat landrace. The Siamese cat is one ...

named Pimpernel Pugh, a grey kitten named Greywacke Jones, a grey tabby cat named Mushroom Magee, a tiger cat named Grizzly MacDuff, and a

rainbow lorikeet The rainbow lorikeet (''Trichoglossus moluccanus'') is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Six ...

named Stickybeak Syd.

Slinky Malinki

''Slinky Malinki'', first published in 1990, is one of a well-known series of books by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd. The book is written for pre-school children, with rhythmic,

rhyming text Rhymed prose is a literary form and literary genre, written in Meter (poetry), unmetrical rhymes. This form has been known in many different cultures. In some cases the rhymed prose is a distinctive, well-defined style of writing. In modern literar ...

. It has become a best-selling bedtime storybook in New Zealand. Malinki is based on Dodd's cat, Wooskit, who was with her for 13 years, and her later cat Suu Kyi. Slinky Malinki is very silly. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' 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 Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...

. In 2015 Malinki featured alongside other Lynley Dodd characters in an

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

show for children, ''Hairy Maclary's Cat Tales'' by Nonsense Productions.

Reception

The book received mixed reviews when first published. ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'' found that "While there's nothing wrong with this book, there's nothing to recommend it, either", and concluded "It's hard to imagine many preschoolers who would sit through the whole book. There's just nothing to it." By contrast, a reviewer for ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'' compared Malinki to one of Eliot's

cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

, highlighted the verse and illustrations, and concluded that "New readers will find the vocabulary varied and occasionally challenging but are sure to enjoy the fun." Multiple editions have been published in the UK and US, as well as Australia and New Zealand, most recently in 2015. A translation into Russian was published in 2011. It has also been reviewed by ''Magpies'' magazine. It is used in the teaching of language to children.

Slinky Malinki Open The Door

''Slinky Malinki Open The Door'', first published in 1993, has become a best-selling bedtime storybook in New Zealand. 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 Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 7, 2000. Republican Governor George W. Bush of Texas, the eldest son of 41st President George H. W. Bush, and former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney narrowly defeated incumbe ...

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:

Slinky Malinki Catflaps

First published in 1998.

Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers

Slinky Malinki climbs the Christmas tree, causing a "GLORIOUS mess". When the family repair the damage, they are unable to find the fairy, as Slinky Malinki has hidden it under the rug. "Oh foozle!", they exclaim, before realising that Slinky has taken the fairy's place at the top of the tree. ''Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers'' was first published in 2006 by Mallinson Rendel. The story was inspired by Dodd's cat Suu Kyi's obsession with a particular red-nosed mouse Christmas tree decoration. It was described as "guaranteed to be reread a ''lot"'' and "a festive favourite".

Slinky Malinki Early Bird

''Slinky Malinki Early Bird'', first published in 2012, 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 Notable Book in 2013.

References

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External links

Slinky MalinkiLibrary holdings of ''Slinky Malinki''Slinky Malinki , RNZ Storytime
1990 children's books Children's books about cats Books by Lynley Dodd Hairy Maclary New Zealand children's books Picture books Fictional cats