Hairy Maclary's Bone

Author and Illustrator: Lynley Dodd
publisher: Puffin Books, 1986, This edition 2007

To me Lynley Dodd has to be the queen of the rhyming couplet! Her books are so infectious, so memorable, I find myself thinking about 'Schnitzel von Krumm with a very low tum' whenever I see a sausage dog. Hairy Maclary, the rougish scruffy little dog, is a clever mutt who outwits the dogs following him ( they want his bone). He leads them on a wild goose chase across town, wherein each breeds' characteristic turn out to be their pitfall ( so for example, the long hair of English sheep dog Muffin McLay gets caught in the prickly hedge). Eventually clever Hairy Maclary gets that bone to himself. 

From 18 months- 4 years these books are fun, in-between a quick coffee, reads. Children over 4 tend to enjoy these books still, but always ask for more ( as they're quite short). With lots of page turning and a high picture -to -word ratio this, The Hairy MacClary series, does seem to serve the youngest of children very well. What I really like about Lynley Dodd's work, is her ability to find unusual rhymes and use uncouth words. Not so much in this title, but in Hairy Maclary's Hat Tricks for example, 'The wind was so restless, it's buffets so strong, that it flapped him, and slapped him, and zapped him along.' Talk about helping to expand young children's vocabulary! Her writing is sumptuous, it feels nice on the tongue, enjoyable to read aloud.

Dodd is very observant, acknowledging the little differences in the breeds as each dog, in subsequent books, has its own specific noise, so for example a yelp, a woof, or a yowl. This series is fun and witty, with very catchy verse. She uses a lot of onomatopoeia, which, together with this careful observation, really appeals to and mirrors the young child's mind.

Here's a lovely reading of the book from a group called Buzzing for Books, voiced by 'Mr Haines': Buzzing for Books YouTube Channel

Hairy Maclary's Bone Reading

Charlie and Lola: But excuse ME THAT is my book

Based on the original Charlie and Lola stories, characters by Lauren Child
Text based on script written by Bridget Hurst and Carole Noble
Illustrations from the TV animation produced by Tiger Aspect
Puffin Books, 2013 edition 

I think this book might have originally come home via school as part of a www.booktime.org.uk initiative. Although this book grates on you as a parent if you read it too much, as the stubborn Lola wanting -to-borrow-her-favourite-book-from-the -library tantrum is a bit longwinded, it is a good book to pre-empt any preschooler's trip to the library. The book reminds us what it's like in the library, in that we should be quiet, and also reminds us that borrowing all manner of books on all manner of subjects is a possibility. The usual Charlie and Lola 'innocence of a child' humour is there, with Lola proclaiming her undying love for the book 'Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies' only to very quickly change her mind in favour of 'Cheetahs and Chimpanzees' . The characteristic different size and angled text compositions on each page are there, making this a nice book for those learning to read to follow with their finger. The usual vibrant multi layer graphics are there also, making this very much a ' Charlie and Lola' book, but with the added disclaimer that yes, Lola is just that bit more irritating rather than 'sweet' compared to normal. 

This is a good book, and useful as a precursor to a library trip but not essential for the home bookcase.