Dame Lynley Dodd
Author
Dame Lynley Dodd is an internationally celebrated writer for children. Her titles, including Hairy Maclary, are highly regarded and much loved by her readers locally and internationally. Her stories are known for their lively sound qualities, curious animal characters, and the memorable illustrations that accompany the text. Dodd has received numerous awards, both for her writing and illustration. In 2002 she was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to children’s literature.
Born in 1941, Lynley was an only child, and she lived with her parents for the next 17 years in Kaingaroa Forest, near Taupo. She was fascinated by illustration from an early age. She studied at Auckland's Elam School of Art and Teacher's College and then taught art at Queen Margaret College.
The popularity of her books has led to the formation of Maclary Theatre Productions for the staging of musicals based on the stories of Hairy Maclary, Dragon in a Wagon, Slinky Malinki, and The Nickle Nackle Tree. Lynley lives in Tauranga with her husband Tony and a beautiful Burmese cat. She continues to write and illustrate one picture book a year.