Day 14. We ventured out for story time at the local library today, but I must have read the program wrong because we arrived to find nothing happening. No matter, there was heaps of books and a quiet corner to read in. Nearby was a grandma reading to a little boy of maybe 3 years, and Master A was enraptured with the sights of other children who could walk and run and OMG! It was lovely. I can see we're going to be regular visitors there.
Anyway, the book I plucked to read was Noni the Pony goes to the beach. I was horse obsessed as a child, and read anything with a horse in it. The fact got me in some strife with my year 5 teacher who (unfortunately) chose to discourage my obsession and in so doing created a rift with reading that hasn't ever truly mended. So Noni the Pony was gloriously nostalgic for me, echoing back to a time before that incident when books were full of wondrous adventures free from judgement. This story is sweet too, a rhyming tale of animals enjoying themselves at the seaside. Some books in an effort to rhyme are a bit laboured and overreaching in the chosen words, but this one isn't. Really loved it.
I discovered after the fact that this title was short-listed this year for a CBCA Book of the Year award, and that Alison Lester is a well-loved author of children's picture books, and also spends time in remote Indigenous communities. It's fitting therefore to have included this book in the 100 days project, and I'll be looking for more from her.
Master A's verdict: Loves the simple illustrations, and the book is the right length for his attention span. Would read again :)
Details:
- Title: Noni the Pony goes to the beach (apologies on the shaky cover shot - baby wriggling to see something across the room)
- Author/Illustrator: Alison Lester
- Source: Plucked from the "L" bin at Indooroopilly Library
- Publisher: Allen & Unwin
What's on tomorrow? No idea ...