The character Hairy Maclary made his first appearance in 1983 in the book titled Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. [1] He is the protagonist in twelve books in the series, and there are a further nine books about his friends. [1] With cumulative rhymes and sunny ink and watercolor illustrations, this international favorite chronicles the escapades of our hero Hairy and his crew of five kooky canines. Here every dog-from big-as-a-horse Hercules Morse to Schnitzel von Krumm with the very low tum-tries to have his day with HAIRY MACLARY'S BONE, but guess who triumphs! Lynley Dodd is an award-winning author/illustrator who lives in New Zealand. She is enormously popular for her rhyming stories of the unforgettable HAIRY MACLARY and his friends. She worked as a teacher before beginning to write her own books in 1974.

Hairy Maclary's adventures are usually in the company of his other dog friends who include the Dachshund Schnitzel von Krumm, the Dalmatian Bottomley Potts, the Greyhound Bitzer Maloney, the English Mastiff Hercules Morse and the Old English Sheepdog Muffin McLay. The series also features cats Scarface Claw, their formidable opponent, and Slinky Malinki. Kira (voiced by Madison Zamor) is a girl with curly hair who can fix anything with a little creativity and various tools. Has Hairy ever caused such mayhem? Thank goodness for Miss Plum, who once again steps in to save the day! Although the books are designed to entertain young children, they are not intended as "early readers", as are, for example, the " Cat in the Hat" books by Dr. Seuss which have a very basic and largely phonic vocabulary. 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 preschooler 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".Schnitzel von Krumm is the star of several of his own adventures as well as appearing in Hairy Maclary's. A red standard smooth-haired Dachshund, Schnitzel's legs are the shortest in the gang.

Sculpture of Hairy Maclary and other characters from the books in Tauranga, New Zealand on the waterfront

Creative Play

Bitzer Maloney is the only other member of Hairy Maclary‘s gang that, like Hairy Maclary, is of mixed-breed parentage. With his large bright eyes, long legs, finely boned thin frame and snaky tail, he is definitely part greyhound. 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. [1]