Books like Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
By Lynley Dodd
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy turns a simple walk into a parade, one dog after another tagging along until the whole gang meets Scarface Claw and bolts for home. Your kid will start naming each dog before you turn the page, then shout the run home part every single time. Here are more books for that same growing-parade feeling.
Same rhyme and the same scary-shadow chase home, but The Gruffalo's Child by Julia Donaldson flips who's brave enough to go looking for the monster.
The bouncy rhyme and the loyal dog stay, but Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen sends them soaring off a mountain instead of running from a tomcat.
Same rhyme-and-repeat bounce, but here one dust bunny keeps breaking the pattern on purpose. Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas turns that into the whole joke.
Reach for A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen when the wiggles need somewhere to go. A bear shows up and the rhyme just keeps racing downhill.
If your kid loves counting up Hairy Maclary's ragtag friends, Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen does the same lineup trick with a wobblier boat.
Same swishy-swashy chant, but We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen sends the whole family through mud and snow instead of just around the block.
The rhyme rolls along the same way, though Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson keeps adding new friends instead of one dog at a time.
Less rhyme, more everyday diary jokes, but Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin gives you that same gentle friendship warmth Hairy Maclary has with his gang.
Froodle by Antoinette Portis keeps the neighborhood full of animal noise, but here one small bird's new sound is the whole point, not a chase.
Same dog, same town, same Scarface Claw waiting to turn the tables. If your kid asks for Hairy Maclary again, hand them Hairy Maclary Scattercat by Lynley Dodd.
Same building dread as Scarface Claw's approach, but Wolf's Coming! by Joe Kulka saves its twist for the very last page.
As the farm animals bustle to get ready for the annual Corn Maze Festival, a sly duck skips the chores to hatch a scheme of his own inside Farmer Brown's corn maze.
