Read this story not just for the rambunctious dog who wants to have a bit of fun hustling and bustling neighborhood cats, but for the cats’ names, too: Greywacke Jones, Butterball Brown, and Slinky Malinki to mention a few. My daughter Annabel is smitten with no-nonsense Scarface Claw, a big black tomcat with tattered ears, who gives Hairy a taste of his own medicine at the end of the tale.
Hairy Maclary Scattercat is a fun, easy read. Toddlers will enjoy spotting Hairy hiding behind a bush as well as seeing him scamper about chasing cats hither and tither.
Hairy doesn’t mean any harm, he’s only having a lark (I know, tell that to Mushroom Magee), much like little people with their boundless energy and appetite for fun. And Scarface Claw is not a heinous bewhiskered character which is important. He isn’t over-the-top mean and aggressive when confronted- sure, he’s a little rough around the edges- he is ultimately asserting his right to live a life unharried. And I certainly endorse that.
Props to S. Claw, but much love for Hairy M. And Slinky Malinki. And Butterball Brown. And Greywacke Jones, too.
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