Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy[1] first published in 1983, is the first and most well-known of a series of books by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd featuring Hairy Maclary.[2] His adventures are usually in the company of his other dog friends. His arch-enemy is the tomcat Scarface Claw.
Author | Lynley Dodd |
---|---|
Country | New Zealand |
Language | English |
Series | Hairy Maclary |
Genre | Children's book |
Publisher | Mallinson Rendel Publishers Limited |
Publication date | 1983 |
ISBN | 978-0-14-330615-3 |
Followed by | Hairy Maclary's Bone |
Written for pre-school children, it has become a classic bedtime storybook in New Zealand and Australia,[3][4][5] and Lynley Dodd's books, including this one, dominate the children's section of the Premier New Zealand Bestsellers list.
The order of introduction of the dogs (with their house number in brackets) is:
- Hairy Maclary (from Donaldson's Dairy), a Scottish Terrier, (60)[6]
- Hercules Morse (as big as a horse), an English Mastiff, (54)
- Bottomley Potts (covered in spots), a Dalmatian, (52)
- Muffin McLay (like a bundle of hay), an Old English Sheepdog, (48)
- Bitzer Maloney (all skinny and bony), a Greyhound, (36)[7]
- Schnitzel Von Krumm (with a very low tum), a Dachshund, (22)
The story follows the assembly of a pack of dogs going to the park, and ends when they're all scared off by a fearsome cat - Scarface Claw.
Like most of Dodd's books, it is written in anapaestic verse, though it breaks into a more urgent trochaic form when the dogs encounter the cat.
It has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and been translated into Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Swedish, Russian, Slovene[8][9] - and te reo Māori.[10] It has also been adapted into a stage play, which has been performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Sydney Opera House.[11]
In the 2019 TVNZ series Goodnight Kiwi, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern read Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. The episode aired on TVNZ 2 on Christmas Day.[12][13]
References
- In New Zealand English, a dairy is a small corner shop
- "Hairy Maclary named as the bestselling book of the decade in New Zealand". Stuff. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- Pollock, Kerryn. "Classics: Hairy Maclary". Te Ara. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- "Hairy Maclary". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- "The ten best dogs in literature". Country Life. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- "Hairy Maclary". www.hairymaclary.com. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- "Met Hairy Maclary and his friends". Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- Yalde, Phillipa (10 April 2013). "Hairy Maclary debuts in China". SunLive. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- Miklavčič, Alja, Jana Kolarič (in Slovenian), Društvo slovenskih pisateljev, retrieved 16 August 2017
- "Hairy Maclary no te Teri a Tanarahana". Penguin. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- "Paws for thought: Hairy Maclary scampers in". SMH. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- "Jacinda Ardern to read classic Hairy Maclary for Goodnight Kiwi". 8 December 2019.
- "Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to front Christmas episode of Goodnight Kiwi".
External links
- Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy Puffin Books Australia