N is for Noni by Alison Lester

A is for apples, the fruit Noni loves.

You might be able to anticipate some of the alphabet choices in this newest book from Alison Lester if you have already met little Noni (N), Coco (C), and Dave (D).

In 2027 several of my friends are expecting the arrival of a new baby. This book, along with others from Alison Lester such as Kissed by the Moon, will be added to their baby book gift parcels. 

There are four Noni the Pony books by Alison Lester - I discovered this from the back cover of this new book from Allen and Unwin published just yesterday [AUS$24.99]. 

Publisher blurb: A delightful rhyming story featuring the instantly lovable character, Noni the Pony – the nicest pony any child could ever hope to meet! – from the phenomenal and much-loved author Alison Lester. Would you like to meet Noni? She's the friendliest pony. She lives on a farm overlooking the sea and has a lot of fun with the alphabet as she plays with her best friends, Dave Dog and Coco the Cat.

When you read this book aloud to your new baby or young child don't rush because you might begin to think there is a predictable pattern to the rhyme but on the page "J is jumping for joy, just like Joe." the pattern changes. 

A couple of years ago a colleague and made a presentation for IBBY Australia about alphabet books. I also have a Pinterest on this topic. Every young child, preschool and school library needs a good collection of alphabet books. 

The first Noni the Pony book was published in 2010 with a 25th anniversary edition published this year by Allen and Unwin. The illustration on the last page of the original book is almost the same as the one you will see on the final page in this newest installment.

If you have all the books in this series, you might also spy the four cows from "Noni the Pony goes to the beach" making a return appearance in the alphabet book "M is the moon shining down on the dancers." and you will also recognise the little joey from Noni the pony rescues a joey. The emu chicks "E is for emu chicks, cheep, cheep, cheep" can also be found in this previous book about the joey along with the koala and I am sure there are other references I have not yet discovered.

Maybe you are lucky enough to have a Noni toy from 2012, a board book or even a magnet book:

In 2012, Alison Lester became Australia's first Children's Book Laureate, a position she shared with Boori Monty Pryor. In 2016, she was awarded the Dromkeen Medal for her outstanding achievement in the creation of Australian children's and young adult literature, and in 2018, she became the first children's book creator to win the Melbourne Prize for Literature, for her outstanding contribution to Australian literature and cultural and intellectual life. In 2019, Alison was awarded an Australia Post Legends Award and featured on a stamp, as well as being the recipient of a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours List. In 2026, her book Magic Beach was voted Australia's Best Children's Picture Book of all time in a Guardian Australia poll. In the 2026 ABC poll of Best Australian books (adult and children's titles) two of her books made the top 100 - Magic Beach and Are we There Yet? 

My own favourite Alison Lester books are Ruby; Are we there yet?; and Clive eats alligators.