I had to laugh aloud at the irony of reading this particular book to my boys (aged almost 2 and 4) on a cold winter’s morning after having been rudely awoken out of a deep sleep at 5am a few hours earlier.
Slinky Malinki Early Bird (Hairy Maclary and Friends) tells the tale of the mischievous cat’s multiple methods of getting all the family out of bed early one morning, just so he could curl up on one of their beds!
I’m liking
My boys loved the book and I ended up re-reading it to them about six times that day (!) – a sure sign that they enjoyed the tale. In signature Lynley Dodd style, the book has a fun rhythm to read aloud and gorgeous illustrations that pay attention to detail. Having a cat ourselves, they particularly loved the ones of the cat tickling the son’s nose and playing hide and seek behind the curtains.
I could certainly identify with the expressions and actions of the family in the story hiding under the blankets, wishing for more sleep, and the particularly the telling quote “We wanted some PEACE for an hour or two!” I’m sure every parent of littlies can chuckle to themselves and imagine replacing a persistent cat with a child or two!
It was hard to resist adding on my own warning or two at the end about getting up too early in the morning!
The conclusion
If your children are fans of Lynley Dodd’s books, this is another lovely one to add to your collection or get out from the library. (Of course it can’t beat the original Hairy McLeary!)
