It's fitting then that biographer Finlay MacDonald tells both their stories in The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd.
While most of the book is told chronologically, detailing Dodd's family background, her isolated childhood and her road to success, MacDonald begins with the story of how Hairy Maclary came to be, literally falling out of Dodd's ideas book at just the right time. It's a great story and Hairy fans will love seeing how he went from rough sketch to international success.
Dodd's own story is just as interesting and is beautifully accompanied throughout the book by her sketches and distinctive illustrations.
MacDonald, clearly a fan, also explores her creative process and the painstaking approach she takes to both words and images. (Anyone who thinks they could just blat out a successful children's book might think again after reading this.)
You don't have to be a Hairy Maclary fan to enjoy this book, though of course it helps.
- Laura Hewson is an ODT subeditor and mother .
