Hairy Maclary and Friends

Gr PreS-2—This single compact disc includes 11 Hairy Maclary and Friends stories celebrating 30 years of Lynley Dodd's rhyming tales featuring Hairy (a shaggy terrier), his canine pals, feline counterparts, and other critter friends. Schnitzel von Krumm, the dog "with the very low tum," is nearly lost on vacation; Hairy makes a new friend; Slinky Malinki makes mischief with his bird friend Stickybeak Syd; and more. The 11 stories are short and told with a heavy Scottish accent that may prove to be difficult for some children to understand. The Hairy Maclary stories typically rely heavily on the illustrations in addition to the text, which makes the audiobook less enjoyable. The disc moves quickly between stories, which may make it difficult to differentiate between the tales. While the print books by Dodd offer the reader an illustrated tale with likable characters told in friendly rhyme, the audiobook misses the mark.—Jessica Gilcreast, Bedford School District, NH