Talking to picture book LEGEND Alison Lester
- Allen & Unwin
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
We chat with author/illustrator legend Alison Lester about 15 years of Noni the Pony.
A&U: Hi Alison! Thank you so much for speaking with us. What inspired Noni the Pony?
AL: Noni was inspired by a little pony I had whose name was Bella, who was a very sweet pony. She was my youngest son Lachie’s pony. Lachie was very little when he got Bella, probably only six. Bella really looked after him. If he looked like he was falling off, she would shift slightly underneath him to kind of catch him. They got on like a house on fire.
In those days, I ran a lot, so often when I was running, I would start thinking about this poem about a little pony. ‘Bella the Pony’ didn't quite sound so good, so I substituted ‘Noni’ for ‘Bella’. I think the very first poem went something like: ‘Noni the Pony jumps over a log’. That was about all I had at the time. But I did have that rhythm, and that probably came from running! And it has stuck through all the Noni books.
A&U: What do you personally love the most about Noni?
AL: I love the way Noni looks. I love her shiny brightness with her lovely glossy coat and her beautiful chestnut mane and tail. But I really love her attitude more than anything. She's so full of beans. She's very loyal and friendly and funny and never lets anyone get left behind.
A&U: Do you have a personal favourite Noni the Pony book or moment?
AL: My favourite Noni the Pony book is Noni the Pony Rescues a Joey. I really love that adventure of them finding the poor lost wallaby. It was the sort of thing I used to dream about happening to me when I was a little girl riding around on our farm by myself. I’d dream that I would find an orphaned animal that needed help, take it home and care for it. And I loved drawing all the animals too: the koala, the possum, the quoll and everyone else.
A&U: And what is next for Noni?
AL: The 15th anniversary edition of Noni the Pony has just come out. Noni is looking as chirpy as ever in the new edition, and there’s lovely spot gloss on the cover which you can't resist running your hands over.
After that, the next thing coming up for Noni is N is for Noni, which is an ABC book which is well underway. It’s coming out in November and I think it will be a really lovely one.
Noni the Pony 15th Anniversary
by Alison Lester
A celebratory hardback edition of the bestselling award-winning rhyming book from the phenomenal and much-loved author Alison Lester.
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