Review by Booklist Review
In this lovable sequel to Lester's Noni the Pony (2012) and Noni the Pony Goes to the Beach (2015), Noni the pony and her friends Dave (a dog) and Coco (a cat) are walking through the hills when they meet a little wallaby: It's a wallaby joey, all on his own, / who says in a soft voice, I want to go home.' As they stroll down the road, they call out to Koala, Wombat, Emu, and other animals, but no one has seen the wombat family. Joey sniffles, then sobs, but when he goes home with Noni, Coco, and Dave, he finds his family there searching for him. Lester has a gift for writing verse that sounds completely natural when read aloud. Created with pencil, watercolors, and collage, her artwork features appealing characters and landscapes rendered in soft black lines, rounded forms, and rich, gentle hues. Even when Joey breaks down and cries, something in Lester's pleasing rhymes and pictures conveys the soothing message that all will be well. A satisfying, reassuring Australian picture book.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K--The star of Noni the Pony and Noni the Pony Goes to the Beach is back with her dear friends Dave Dog and Coco the Cat. They are off together for a playful day of roaming around when they meet a wallaby joey who is clearly lost and alone. Noni and her pals are ready to help and make an adventure out of it. They begin to ask their friends--Koala, Wombat, Platypus, Emu, Echidna, Possum, Goanna, and Quoll--but no one is much help at all. The rhyming text forces readers to pick up speed, which allows for great anticipation. What will happen to the poor joey if they cannot find his parents? Noni invites him to stay with her but just as the friends get back to their home by the bay, "who do they see in the twilight's dim glow?/The wallaby family, looking for Joe!" The animals celebrate the reunion. Young children will relate to the themes of friendship and feeling scared, along with the lesson of staying close by your family. The detailed illustrations, which include black outlined drawings with textured backgrounds, bring all of the animals to life and are perfect for the preschool age group as they will learn what some unfamiliar animals look like. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase for a picture book collection for young children. This will make for a great read-aloud on the topics of animals, friendship, or feelings and is a soothing bedtime story.--Kristen Todd-Wurm, Middle Country Public Library, NY
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In her third outing, Noni the Pony and pals are out walking when they happen upon a lost wallaby joey. Noni decides to help him find his kin, but the animals they question offer no clues. Will the joey ever find his family? This ultra-basic tale, with galloping rhymes and cotton-soft art, is just right for toddlers finally ready for stories. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
After Noni the Pony and pals Coco (a cat) and Dave (a dog) meet a young wallaby on the trail, they help him find his family.Continuing her rhyming series, Lester lets Noni the Pony do what she does bestrun free in the Australian hills. Noni is exploring with her two friends when they discover a lost, distressed wallaby joey. Thinking his family group, also called a mob, must be near, the four animals start looking. On their way, they meet several well-known Australian animals such as a koala, a wombat, a platypus, and an emu as well as others perhaps less familiar to American readers, such as an echidna, a possum, a goanna, and a quoll. Unfortunately, "no one has spotted the wallaby mob, / and Joey's small sniffle becomes a big sob," so Noni invites Joey to her home. It's there that they find Joey's wallaby family, and everyone celebrates their reunion by the light of the moon. This simple tale is a nifty introduction to Australian animals and their homes. As a read-aloud, the dialogue will need a bit of practice to keep the meter. Illustrations are colorful and detailed, with splashes of humor (Noni and Dave have identical orange-and-white coloring, and the cow chorus line is a hoot), but the wallaby family is shown as a father, mother and two children when usually only one wallaby is born at a time.A sweet tale of friends helping friends. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
