Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd

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Puffin, 2010. ISBN: 9780143504450. 34pp., board book.
Remember this ? "Out of the gate and off for a walk went Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy." And by the time you got to the end of the book he had been joined by his mates Hercules Morse (as big as a horse); Bottomley Potts (covered in spots); Muffin McLay (like a bundle of hay); Bitzer Maloney (all skinny and bony); and Schnitzel von Krumm (with a very low tum). How proud and posh they were until they met .
Almost every child born in New Zealand or Australia in the last 30 years knows what happens next! Who could bring down such a bold band of brothers? Children love the sound of the rhythmic and rhyming language and the repetition of the characters on each page which make it a perfect read-aloud as your listeners will be joining in and eagerly anticipating who will join this canine crew., as well as enjoying the pictures which work with the text perfectly, as they should. The board book format makes it perfect for little hands, ensuring that this will be much-loved by this generation as those before.
And it is fitting that on the 5th anniversary of forgoing a trip to Hobbiton in favour of finding the sculpture to this remarkable dog and his mates on Tauranga in the pouring rain, that it is time to remind our new parents of this classic series so another generation can be as enchanted with him as all those of the last 30 years.
Barbara Braxton

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