In fact, the text is such a pleasure to read, there are many Hairy books I can still repeat verbatim - along with David Kirk's iconic and beautifully-rhyming Miss Spider books.
Alas, children soon grow and Lynley Dodd's books have now been replaced with Christopher Paolini's Inheritance and The 39 Clues, but that doesn't stop me snaffling new copies of Lynley's work - both Hairy and his spinoffs, like the inimitable Scarface Claw - to enjoy on my own. (I'm sure they'll be horrified to know I've told you but my 12- and 9-year-olds still keenly smuggle every single Lynley Dodd copy into bed for a clandestine read.)
The Dudgeon is Coming, a relatively recent release (2008), features a divine cast of characters - from a stickleback twitch to a pineapple pig in a mudwallow ditch - who rush from creature to creature, passing on the news that the Dudgeon is coming - and he's coming tonight!
Of course, the taffeta cat and the omnibus owl and all their friends are suitably terrified! . . . until the Dudgeon appears, that is.
Galloping, supremely perfect rhyme and wordage as unique and delicious as the strangest fruit, this is another Lynley winner. Like the work of her distinctive predecessors, Dr Seuss and Roald Dahl, there's simply nothing like a Lynley Dodd book.
Title: The Dudgeon is Coming
Author/Illustrator: Lynley Dodd
Publisher: ABC Books, $21.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 August 2008
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780733323850
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book
