Too Dirty to be Johnny was collaboratively authored by Jennifer Barker of Needham, Massachusetts, with input from her mother, Mary Townend of Medford, New York, and her three siblings: Sarah Oetgen of Chevy Chase, Maryland; Emily Leizear of Severna Park, Maryland; and Daniel Townend of Lindenhurst, New York. Johnny's tale is adapted from a favorite bedtime story originally told by the siblings' great-grandmother, known as Nanny May. The story is still enjoyed today by younger generations of the family.
