The Hairy Maclary and Friends audiobook is a collection of 11 stories brought to life in an energetic reading by Home and Away actor, Kyle Pryor.
Pryor performs with a lovely lilting Scottish accent that is truly a pleasure to listen to. He dutifully barks, purrs and meows as the text requires and maintains a firm grip on the pace of his narration, expertly using the expression in his voice to build tension or convey flurries of activity. Overall, his performance is an enhancement to the stories.
While I think that the audiobook can stand firmly on it's own two feet, the experience of listening to the Hairy Maclary stories really is further enriched by having experienced the original picture books first.
Several titles from the Hairy Maclary series grace our shelves at home and they do the rounds so often that the kids and I were able to quote along to some parts of the story as we listened. I've been pleasantly surprised at the conversations the audiobook has prompted, the kids love listening for parts they know are coming up and have excitedly chatted about what they remember of the illustrations and the character's adventures.
Running for a total of 24 minutes, the 11 stories mostly feature the characters of Slinky Malinky and Schnitzel Von Krumm. The length of each story makes Hairy Maclary and Friends great for the car when you're out and about running errands - short, sweet and wonderfully entertaining!
Title: Hairy Maclary and Friends
Author/Illustrator:: Lynley Dodd
Narrator: Kyle Pryor
Publisher: Bolinda Publishing, $24.95
Publication Date: 1 July 2013
Format: CD
ISBN: 9781743164709
For ages: 2-7
Type: Picture Book, Audiobook
