Old Johnno had a dog…He was so big that he more than filled the back of Johnno’s old Holden ute. People used to say that he was 50 per cent Great Dane, 25 per cent Airedale, 25 per cent horse and 100 per cent stupid! I’d have to agree. He would have to be the stupidest dog I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Old Johnno and his dog Mutt have wild and wacky adventures. There are, the narrator tells us, more stories about Johnno than there are dead fish in a tip. All of these stories are funny, adventurous and just a little bit silly. Some are downright unbelievable.
It is great to see a children’s book told in the best tradition of Aussie tall tales, a form which many kids would be unfamiliar with but which they will love for its humour and down to earth style.
The Old Johnno Stories is part of the Breakers series from Macmillan Education, a series designed for classroom use but just as appealing for private reading.
Good fun.
The Old Johnno Stories, by Barry Carozzi
Macmillan Education, 2004