Review by Booklist Review
Noni the Pony is friendly and funny. Her shimmering tail is the color of honey. Noni, a wide-eyed, stocky-limbed pony, lives on a farm, and her preferred activity is trotting and prancing with the hens and ducks, as the cows look on, mooing their appreciation. Lester's simple rhymes introduce Noni's best friends, Dave Dog and Coco the Cat, and describe their innocent antics, like chasing one another around the barnyard. This picture book doesn't have a story line per se but is instead comprised of meandering snapshots of Noni's day-to-day life. 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.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Rhyming books that are well done are music to the ear, and this one is just that. Noni is a carefree pony who spends her days on the farm cantering and galloping, to the delight of the other farm animals. Her best friends, Dave Dog and Coco the Cat, share in her play and take care of one another when care is needed. When Dave Dog inadvertently falls behind the others, Noni "never lets anyone get left behind." The illustration extends the text with Coco the Cat atop Noni's back looking alarmed as they wait for Dave Dog to catch up. That kind of detail in the illustrations is perfect for this age group, which relies on the pictures to help them decode the words. Later, a spread shows Noni being a little frightened of the woods as night falls and she imagines monsters rustling the leaves. Sharp-eyed children who look at the illustration carefully will see some hidden monsters, but they are not front and center and the smiles on their faces suggest that they are of the kindhearted variety. When Noni is frightened, it is Dave and Coco who snuggle with her until they all fall asleep. 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.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
