A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays. Old proverb A BRIEF HISTORY OF CATS IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE There is an unseen opponent in this story — young readers know that Slinky is not supposed to be taking those things, and that the things belong to people. For the reader, the opponents are the owners of the stolen items, who will get him into trouble if he is caught. For Slinky, his opponent is probably some unseen creature of the night. Slinky is an adrenalin junkie. Plan Dix, Stephanie; Amoore, Liz (1 June 2010). "Becoming Curious About Cats: A Collaborative Writing Project". Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. Australian Literacy Educators' Association. 33 (2): 134–151. doi: 10.1007/BF03651829. hdl: 10289/4141. S2CID 145646917 . Retrieved 10 September 2019– via GALE.

Lynley Dodd is an award-winning author/illustrator who lives in New Zealand. She is enormously popular for her rhyming stories of the unforgettable HAIRY MACLARY and his friends. She worked as a teacher before beginning to write her own books in 1974. Musical Stories: Strategies For Integrating Literature and Musical For Young Children". Australian Journal of Early Childhood. Sage Publications. 32 (4): 7–12. 1 December 2007. doi: 10.1177/183693910703200403 . Retrieved 10 September 2019– via GALE.Although Slinky is perfectly nice during the day, he is transformed by the ‘magic’ of night… Desire This thieving is a habitual thing rather than a once-off, so I’d say his ‘habit’ is to wait until nightfall when all the humans are asleep, then break into people’s homes and drag stolen items to a hidden place at his owners’. Big Struggle After the 2000 US presidential election had been described as a 'schmozzle', Dodd's use of the word 'shemozzle' in this book was discussed in US media, [16] with the following verse quoted: The book is written for pre-school children, with rhythmic, rhyming text. It has become a best-selling bedtime storybook in New Zealand.

Lynley Dodd, too, has created a cast of cat characters which closely align to the cat characters typecast by T.S. Eliot. You’ve got Growltiger with Scarface Claw — the other main cat, and a wonderful nemesis for Hairy. Slinky Malinki is, of course, a modern Criminal, related to the Macavity (who sneaks about) and Mungojerry (who plans naughty things) from T.S. Eliot. With cumulative rhymes and sunny ink and watercolor illustrations, this international favorite chronicles the escapades of our hero Hairy and his crew of five kooky canines. Here every dog-from big-as-a-horse Hercules Morse to Schnitzel von Krumm with the very low tum-tries to have his day with HAIRY MACLARY'S BONE, but guess who triumphs!

Slinky Malinki ends up getting caught in the midst of his naughtiness and experiences the embarrassment and shame of his bad behavior. The illustrations capture his reaction to being caught so well and surely children everywhere can relate to being caught doing something they weren't supposed to do but enjoyed doing a bit to much. Children's Book Awards". Storylines: The Inside Story: 43. 1 January 2013. ISSN 1175-0170 . Retrieved 7 September 2019. Mann, Brittany; Beach, Andrew (25 July 2015). "Slinky still cat's whiskers at 25". The Press. New Zealand. p.A7. The Lynley Dodd Exhibition - Redcliffe Library, 8 December 2017 - 17 March 2018". theredcliffepeninsula.com.au. The Redcliffe Peninsula . Retrieved 12 September 2019.

Slinky Malinki (Book Review)". Magpies: Talking About Books For Children. Magpies Magazine. March 1993. p.37 . Retrieved 10 September 2019. The illustrations make use of classically horrific line work, with the kink in the tail and the spindly branches on the trees. Even the native New Zealand flax seems sinister as it looks as if it might reach out and grab any passerby. The Moon Here we have a startled teddy bear face to contrast with Slinky’s malevolent eyes. The bear seems to be looking at the reader for help. Anagnorisis In Slinky Malinki we also have the trope of the Werebeast, which is associated with a number of subtropes. Slinky’s night-time personality shift comes with nightfall and is psychological rather than outwardly manifested. Kinks and Curlicues More picture books than you might think start with the horror genre and modify the symbolism and tropes for little kids. Stories which manage to achieve this are surprisingly popular. Kids love happenings that take place at night — this is an opportunity for the carnivalesque. The horror genre is really great for making use of symbol, because it is one of the most highly symbolic genres (along with Westerns and sci-fi, which are less common in picture books.)Malinki is based on Dodd's cat, Wooskit, who was with her for 13 years. Slinky Malinki is very silly. [4] The Guardian lists Malinki amongst the top ten cats in children's fiction. [5] Original artwork of him has been part of a travelling exhibition over a number of years, [6] [7] [8] and he is part of a sculpture of some of Dodd's characters at Tauranga. [9] Reception [ edit ] These words are accompanied by an image of chaos — the legs of the human family members have caught him in a compromising position, tangled up all of his stolen gear. Here it looks like Slinky has been fighting with the stolen goods themselves; he is tangled up in wool and has a glove on his head. You could argue that the main opponent in this story are the alluring goods that he can’t help but steal. The items are almost personified. A striking marmalade tabby, Butterball Brown is very proud of his appearance – possibly because doting Grandma always tells him that he’s handsome. While he likes to keep himself neat, he’s certainly not a lazy cat and never misses a night-time adventure with his friends. During the day, he’s often found grooming himself in a sunny, open spot, positioned so that he’s viewed to maximum advantage. He also likes to lurk in the shade of a bush or up in a tree, his owlish eyes glowing. But even when he’s napping, he’ll keep an eye half open – just in case he misses out on some action. Because we all know a cat or two, cat stories tend to take place at night, when cats are most active. LANGUAGE OF SLINKY MALINKI The moon plays a prominent role of course. First, the illustrator needs a light source, but more importantly, according to folklore (and modern hospital workers), strange things happen when there’s a full moon. In one image we even see Slinky carrying a perfectly round balloon (as well as a slipper and a sausage link), and the blood-red balloon partially obscures the moon. This makes Slinky seem as if he is at one with the moon, and like he might be carrying a moon replica in his very own mouth. The moon, we gather from this picture, is the reason for his personality transformation.