Hairy McLary from Donaldson's Dairy

Story

Hairy Maclary sets out for a walk. On the way he collects his friends and they trot along happily together - until they meet Scarface Claw.

Why we chose it

With its rhyming text, humour and engaging characters Hairy Maclary has become a huge favourite with children and parents not just in New Zealand, where it was first published, but across the world.

Where it came from

Hairy Maclary started as a sketch on a scrap of paper, which sat for years in Lynley Dodd’s ideas box. She was working on a story about a bear when she discovered that a similarly titled book had been published in America and had to find a new idea quickly. Hairy Maclary came out of the box and in one afternoon Dodd created his friends. Schnitzel von Krum the dachshund was modelled on her own dog. Her love of language and wordplay came from her childhood when she would play word games with her father.

Where it went next

The Hairy Maclary stories are published all over the world. They have been adapted for the stage and one was read by the New Zealand Prime Minister on television on Christmas day 2019.

Associated stories

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy is the first in a series of books about Hairy Maclary and his friends – and adversaries. These include: Hairy Maclary’s Rumpus at the Vet, where Cassie the Cockatoo and Hairy Maclary cause chaos; Slinky Malinki a mischievous black cat who discovers that crime doesn’t always pay; Hairy Maclary’s Bone, where Hairy Maclary must defend his bone from his friends; Hairy Maclary Scattercat where Hairy Maclary bothers the neighbourhood cats, until he comes face to face with Scarface Claw again; Hairy Maclary’s Caterwaul Caper where Scarface Claw finds out why cats shouldn’t climb trees; Slinki Malinki Open the Door, where Slinky Malinki and Stickybeak Sid have too much fun in an empty house and Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack where Hairy Maclary is bothered by a persistent duckling.

Lynley Dodd also illustrated My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes written by Eve Sutton.