Hairy Maclary creator’s journey

The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd By Finlay Macdonald, Penguin Random House, $45 .. .. .. .. .. ..

We've all read Out of the gate and off for a walk went Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy.

Hairy Maclary is a legend, especially in Tauranga where he began and where he and his furry friends are immortalised in lifesize bronze on the Strand. But so is his creator, and she created more than “just a children's book”.

Finlay Macdonald's lovely book opens with Dodd's own story of growing up in a very small place (Kaingaroa) in the forest. All her creations have their own back stories, their own personalities.

Dodd's early life is explored lovingly, and her earlier and later books and her outstanding artistic talent are throughout the pages. Like many parents I've taken my kids to meet Lynley Dodd so they get a feel for the real person who created the legendary characters.

This book will add to their collection of Hairy Maclary books. — Linda Thompson