Hairy Maclary

I wanted to offer more of our favorite books for your enjoyment. This is a series of superb rhyming books by Lynley Dodd. There are lots of books in the series, and every one is great fun! They are available from Amazon for about $6 each. I would place the read aloud ages from 1-10+ (since my baby and my ten year old and everyone in between enjoy them), and the read alone level at about age 7 or so... the vocabulary can be pretty challenging in some books!

In this book, the first, we meet many of the characters in the series: Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy, Hercules Morse, as big as a horse, Bottomley Potts, all covered in spots, Muffin McLay, like a bundle of hay, Blitzer Maloney, all skinny and bony, Schnitzel von Krumm, with a very low tum, and.......Scarface Claw. When my Lambies see a wiener dog, they often shout, "There's a Schnitzel von Krumm with a very low tum!"

Ms. Dodd's rhymes are very precise and her cadence is easy to read. I can read these books over and over without becoming tired of them. I think that's a very good quality in a children's book, since the children will listen as long as and as many times as I am willing to read! The vocabulary is rich and endearing, not at all "dumbed down for children". Her pictures are very entertaining and have details that encourage a "deep looking at" according to Trixie, aged 7.

I encourage you to try one of these charming books; I think you'll like them!