SuitabookHairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy
Lynley Dodd
- Reading
- Read it aloud and pause over the dogs’ names, rhymes and illustrations. Before discussing fear, ask what the child notices in the dogs’ actions; afterwards, invite several possible interpretations rather than insisting on one.
- Themes
- Fear and interpretation: The six dogs see Scarface Claw and flee to their homes; Hairy Maclary hides in his bed. The situation invites consideration of fear, but the dogs’ precise feelings are not definitively named, leaving room for surprise or another interpretation.
- Difference and shared responses: The dogs have different shapes, sizes and lives, yet they respond similarly when they see the cat. The episode provides a bounded prompt about whether people or animals can differ yet experience similar emotions.
- Worth knowing
- The dogs are described as running and howling away from a tough tomcat, with Hairy Maclary hiding in his bed.