Just So Stories

Penguin Australia

October 2025

• ISBN: 9781761355691
• Imprint: Penguin
• RRP: $19.99

I can absolutely guarantee you that your kiddos will be rolling about as happily as pigs in mud when they get their hands on this one – and it would make a super serial read-aloud for your younger readers.

Pongo and Stink are fully fed up with living in a dark and draughty barn, having to put up with aged Denis, who snores like an old horse – well, of course, as he is an old horse. Not to mention the grumpy owl who wants the barn all to itself.

To top off their disgruntlement [see what I did there?] they are interrupted by an intruder one night, and when Farmer Nic comes to investigate after hearing some noise, their OINKs are enough to send the would-be assassion off into the night, muttering threats of vengeance.

That’s just enough for Pongo and Stink to realise that being a pig isn’t all it’s crackled up to be. They watch old Rollo the sheepdog sitting by Farmer Nic’s fire and dining table, being fed bacon and pancakes and scones, and generally living the high life and decide to become dogs. Well, it’s Pongo who comes up with the idea. After all, if she can dream of being a cruise ship entertainer, why not a dog?

The ensuing adventure with two pigs trotting off to town to hire dog suits (one Welsh corgi and one border collie), meeting a shifty fox on the way and an even shiftier ‘shih tzu’ on the way back, and the hilarious sequence of events as they blunder their way through their attempts to inveigle themselves into Farmer Nic’s good dog books will have any reader laughing aloud.

Lisa Nicol has a created a very funny but layered narrative that, on the surface, is pure comedy but upon digging a little deeper explores the idea of being true to one’s own self, having self confidence, using brains to outwit brawn, as well as how to manipulate with pathos to get more pancakes. And the accompanying illustrations from Karen Blair bring these two little porkers to life beautifully.

Any newly confident readers from around 7 or 8 will enjoy this greatly and, I’ll repeat, a great serial read for your classes of Year 2 – 4 – go ahead, pig out on it soon! Definitely an oinking porcine 5 🐷🐷🐷🐷🐷rating for this one.