Hairy Maclary

Hairy Maclary is a fictional dog, the hero of a series of children's picture books created by the New Zealand author Dame Lynley Dodd, and making his first appearance in 1983 with the publication of Hairy Maclary From Donaldson’s Dairy. Hairy Maclary is the protagonist of twelve books in the series, and a further nine are about his friends. The series has sold over five million copies worldwide. His adventures are usually in the company of his other animal friends who include the dachshund Schnitzel von Krumm, dalmatian Bottomley Potts and Old English sheepdog Muffin McClay. The tomcat Scarface Claw is their formidable opponent. Lynley Dodd has not stated what breed of dog Hairy Maclary is, but he has characteristics of a small terrier.

The Hairy Maclary books are picture books that are designed to be shared by an adult reader and a young child. The plots are simple, in keeping with the comprehension of the pre-reading age group for which they are ranged. They generally involve Hairy and his friends in adventurous scenarios pitched against local cats, often with an implication that the cats are more cunning. The animals in this series, unlike the creatures of Beatrix Potter's stories, are not given human thoughts and motives. Their actions tell the stories, and reflect their animal natures.

Each double page has a picture on one side, and writing on the other. The pictures and the written words combine to tell the story, with much anecdotal material appearing within the pictures that is not described in the text. The books have a wide format which enables a child seated beside an adult to have a full view of the picture page while the adult reads.

The text is written in rhythmic verse that flows easily and has simple rhymes like "Bottomley Potts covered in spots, Hercules Morse as big as a horse". Characters, events and therefore language are repetitive and cumulative, after the manner of "Old MacDonald had a farm". Each book contains a twist or some sort of conclusion at the end. The repetitions permit a young child to anticipate what is coming next, and repeat the words.

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