It’s the most adorable title to come down the pike in a long time—and it delivers on every page, even if it’s little more than a catalogue of the eponymous character’s sunny niceness. Noni, a plump, orange-dappled darling, is “Gentle and kind,/ and never lets anyone get left behind.” Her days are filled with frolicking, but if she gets spooked at night (“When the leaves rustle and sigh in the breeze,/ Noni thinks monsters are shaking the trees”) she has best buddies Dave Dog and Coco the Cat to provide emergency snuggle assistance. Fans of Lester (Running with the Horses) know that she’s an expert horse portraitist, but she opts for a radically streamlined approach in this outing, rendering Noni and her friends as a simple, toylike shapes with just enough details to reveal a cheerful, openhearted character: eager round eyes, a sweet little smile, and—in Noni’s case—a wavy mane and tail. There’s not a whisper of dramatic tension or narrative arc, but no matter: it’s a safe bet that readers will follow her anywhere. Ages 2–5. (Oct.)
"In [Alison Lester’s]…“Noni the Pony,” an unabashedly sweet and simple tale about a happy pony, her affection and easy familiarity with these four-legged favorites shine through… the target audience will appreciate its simple cadences, which allow them to predict the rhyming words and to participate in the pleasures of the story.… Lester’s cheerful illustrations nicely match the text, yet offer welcome surprises. There’s something amusing about Noni’s oversimplified movements, from her squirrel-like leap on the cover to her curled-up-like-a-kitty finale.
The graphic art, with its soft, round shapes and soothing, textured background colors, will appeal to small children, as will the cheery couplets. Not only does this one have potential for storytimes about friendship but it’s also suited for bedtime reading (it ends with Noni, Dave, and Coco all snuggled as one) and for sharing with the legions of kids who love, love, love horses.
"In [Alison Lester’s]…“Noni the Pony,” an unabashedly sweet and simple tale about a happy pony, her affection and easy familiarity with these four-legged favorites shine through… the target audience will appreciate its simple cadences, which allow them to predict the rhyming words and to participate in the pleasures of the story.… Lester’s cheerful illustrations nicely match the text, yet offer welcome surprises. There’s something amusing about Noni’s oversimplified movements, from her squirrel-like leap on the cover to her curled-up-like-a-kitty finale.
The graphic art, with its soft, round shapes and soothing, textured background colors, will appeal to small children, as will the cheery couplets. Not only does this one have potential for storytimes about friendship but it’s also suited for bedtime reading (it ends with Noni, Dave, and Coco all snuggled as one) and for sharing with the legions of kids who love, love, love horses.
Noni, friendly and funny, is the perfect pony for preschoolers. Like Noni herself, the light rhyme, bustling with rhythm and easy to read, is friendly and funny…. Each couplet is accompanied by Lester’s droll illustrations…. The gentle ending, with pony and friends cuddled up for bed, slows the trotting long enough— just the way a book for toddlers should end. Night-night, Noni.”
“Rhyming books that are well done are music to the ear, and this one is just that…. Lester’s illustrations are charmingly done in black outline with pencil, watercolor, and collage interiors. Simple and bold, with uncluttered backgrounds, they will attract the youngest readers, and the soothing ending will satisfy them.”
* “It’s the most adorable title to come down the pike in a long time—and it delivers on every page…. Fans of Lester (Running with the Horses) know that she’s an expert horse portraitist, but she opts for a radically streamlined approach in this outing, rendering Noni and her friends as…simple, toylike shapes with just enough details to reveal a cheerful, openhearted character: eager round eyes, a sweet little smile, and—in Noni’s case—a wavy mane and tail. There’s not a whisper of dramatic tension or narrative arc, but no matter: it’s a safe bet that readers will follow her anywhere.”
“The graphic art, with its soft, round shapes and soothing, textured background colors, will appeal to small children, as will the cheery couplets. Not only does this one have potential for storytimes about friendship but it’s also suited for bedtime reading (it ends with Noni, Dave, and Coco all snuggled as one) and for sharing with the legions of kids who love, love, love horses.”
"In [Alison Lester’s]…“Noni the Pony,” an unabashedly sweet and simple tale about a happy pony, her affection and easy familiarity with these four-legged favorites shine through… the target audience will appreciate its simple cadences, which allow them to predict the rhyming words and to participate in the pleasures of the story.… Lester’s cheerful illustrations nicely match the text, yet offer welcome surprises. There’s something amusing about Noni’s oversimplified movements, from her squirrel-like leap on the cover to her curled-up-like-a-kitty finale.
The graphic art, with its soft, round shapes and soothing, textured background colors, will appeal to small children, as will the cheery couplets. Not only does this one have potential for storytimes about friendship but it’s also suited for bedtime reading (it ends with Noni, Dave, and Coco all snuggled as one) and for sharing with the legions of kids who love, love, love horses.
Noni, friendly and funny, is the perfect pony for preschoolers. Like Noni herself, the light rhyme, bustling with rhythm and easy to read, is friendly and funny. Lester's art, which shows every apple, carrot, cow and hen she mentions in her text, invites new readers and horse-loving listeners to join Noni and her best friends, Dave Dog and Coco the Cat, in their play. Each couplet is accompanied by Lester's droll illustrations. The animals appear humorously flat, almost as if Lester cut them out and glued them in by hand. The movements are exaggerated and at times remarkably unhorselike. The cover is especially amusing, showing Noni doing a split in midair. "They ambush each other and play hide-and-seek, / racing and chasing and jumping the creek," is illustrated with arrows and dotted lines to show the movement of the animal friends, while subtle eye movements let the reader know exactly who is hiding from whom. The layout, just one couplet per spread with every word illustrated, is perfect for anxious youngsters who want to prance through stories over and over again but not linger too long on any page. The gentle ending, with pony and friends cuddled up for bed, slows the trotting long enough-- just the way a book for toddlers should end. Night-night, Noni. (Picture book. 2-5)
