Scruffy Fun (Hairy Maclary's Showbusiness - Lynley Dodd)

Member Name: belfin

Product:	Hairy Maclary's Showbusiness - Lynley Dodd
Date:	21/08/08 (139 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great rhymes accompanied by delightful pictures

Disadvantages: none

***Background***

Lynley Dodd keeps children happy with her series of books about the scruffy mutt that is Hairy Maclary. Her clever rhymes and funny illustrations mean that she is a very popular choice with children and adults alike.

***The Story***

The story starts with a picture of a town hall where a cat show is taking place.

"In Riverside Hall
on Cabbage Tree Row,
the Cat Club were having
their Annual Show.

There were fat cats
and thin cats,
tabbies and greys,
kick-up-a-din cats
with boisterous ways."

Outside Hairy Maclary is tied up but wants to see inside and does just that as he escapes from the tree he is tied to. Inside he gets all the cats worked up and various people try to catch him as he hides and jumps around.

Along the way he manages to get everything tangled up until eventually Miss Plum catches him and the action moves to the row of prize-winners where we see prizes for the biggest family, worst temper, snootiest and longest whiskers.

The story ends as we look along the line.

"and WHO won the prize
for the SCRUFFIEST CAT?
Hairy Maclary
From Donaldson's Dairy."

***The Illustrations***

As with all the books in the series, the format is kept simple with a picture on one half of the double pages and the story written on the other. The illustrations are very detailed as well as being bright and colourful, with lots going on in the backgrounds. This is great for keeping children occupied as you read the story. The text is written in clear black print on a white background.

***My Thoughts***

The first time my son was introduced to Hairy Maclary was by way of a jigsaw book and although we weren't aware of it at the time, it has passages and pictures taken from this book and from Hat Tricks, so when my son saw the full story of this one he was quite excited by it.

Hairy Maclary is a very lovable character that children seem to love. His scruffy appearance and cheeky expressions capture the heart of adults too and I have to say I love reading these books to my son.

The pictures in the book go extremely well with the pace of the rhyming story and I love the picture of all the cats in their cages as Hairy Maclary goes by, jumping and barking along the way. Each cat has a different expression from sheer terror to amusement.

The way the rhyme bounces along through the book goes ideally with this mischievous character and you really feel the energy and excitement in the story as it progresses.

Of course the funniest part of the story has to be when they decide to give the prize of Scruffiest Cat to the playful pup and the look on his face, which seems to indicate a bit of shame there, despite the fact that he is sat up so straight on the prize-winners table.

I have to recommend this book to anyone with young children, as it is everything that a good children's book should be - full of fun, with a good story and wonderful drawings.

***Other Hairy Maclary Books***

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
Hairy Maclary Scatttercat
Hairy Maclary's Bone
Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the Vet
Hairy Maclary, Sit
Hairy Maclary's Caterwaul Caper
Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack
Zachary Quack Minimonster
Scarface Claw
Hairy Maclary and Friends

***Price and Availability***

This book retails for the price of £4.99 but is available for the cheaper price of only £3.99 at WH Smith.

ISBN No. 0140545506

Summary: Another fantastic Lynley Dodd book.