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Summary: A DOGGY DIS-OBEDIENCE CLASS
Review: .Wherever Hairy goes, chaos follows. For all of us who know and love Hairy he is not a dog to be kept on a leash. Even though he is pint-sized he is a natural leader, particularly when there are ducks to chase. One of the tricks in Lynley's book is to look for pages where we see only a small part of the dog or see them in silhouette and try to figure out who it is. Hairy eventually has 8 of his doggy friends chasing along behind him. These books are at their best when read aloud. The rhythm, rhymes and tempo are a lot of fun. The story carries us along to an exciting and humorous climax, even when you've read the book (or heard the story) many, many times.
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Summary: jj
Review: I discovered the Hairy Maclary books a couple of weeks ago. Talk about EUREKA! I can't believe they aren't bestsellers in the US. They are just wonderful. Hairy Maclary is a little black dog "from Donaldson's Dairy" who has all sorts of cleverly-named dog friends, like Bottomley Potts "all covered in spots" (a dalmation), Schnitzel von Krumm "with a very low tum" (a dachshund), and Muffin McLay "like a bundle of hay" (an English sheepdog). They are introduced in Linley Dodd's first book, HAIRY MACLARY FROM DONALDSON'S DAIRY, and make various guest appearances in the other books. In HARRY MACLARY, SIT we see a dog obedience class taking place in a park. Or, as Linley Dodd puts it, "A fidget of dogs lined up on the grass for the Kennel Club's Special Obedience Class." We then have Hairy Maclary, who is feeling "breezily bad, jittery, skittery, mischievous, mad," run off. The other dogs chase him--each in his or her own particular way, rhyme permitting. For example, Bottomly Potts gets his leader "tangled up in knots". In the end, everyone ends up in the lake. The rhyming text is outstanding. (Think of a wordier, more literary Jeff Moss or Shel Silverstein.) But mention must also be made of the illustrations. They are outstanding, too. They capture "dogginess"--the scratching, sniffing, panting, lunging, and so forth. I think that the whole of these books is greater than the sum of their parts, so you may have to read a few before you develop a real affection for them. Given that, would it be too much to hope that they be released in paperback!
Rating:
Summary: The Harry Maclary books capture "dogginess"
Review: I discovered the Hairy Maclary books a couple of weeks ago. Talk about EUREKA! I can't believe they aren't bestsellers in the US. They are just wonderful. My toddler loves them. Hairy Maclary is a little black dog "from Donaldson's Dairy" who has all sorts of cleverly-named dog friends, like Bottomley Potts "all covered in spots" (a dalmation), Schnitzel von Krumm "with a very low tum" (a dachshund), and Muffin McLay "like a bundle of hay" (an English sheepdog). They are introduced in Linley Dodd's first book, HAIRY MACLARY FROM DONALDSON'S DAIRY, and make various guest appearances in the other books. In HARRY MACLARY, SIT we see a dog obedience class taking place in a park. Or, as Linley Dodd puts it, "A fidget of dogs lined up on the grass for the Kennel Club's Special Obedience Class." We then have Hairy Maclary, who is feeling "breezily bad, jittery, skittery, mischievous, mad," run off. The other dogs chase him--each in his or her own particular way, rhyme permitting. For example, Bottomly Potts gets his leader "tangled up in knots". In the end, everyone ends up in the lake. The rhyming text is outstanding. (Think of a wordier, more literary Jeff Moss or Shel Silverstein.) But mention must also be made of the illustrations. They are outstanding, too. They capture "dogginess"--the scratching, sniffing, panting, lunging, and so forth. I think that the whole of these books is greater than the sum of their parts, so you may have to read a few before you develop a real affection for them. Given that, would it be too much to hope that they be released in paperback!
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