Noni the pony counts to a million by Alison Lester

Noni the pony returns in another glorious adventure following Noni the pony, Noni the pony rescues a joey and Noni the Pony goes to the beach. This time she has lots of fun counting, and so will young children who count along with her. Starting off with Noni standing under one tree, she gradually collects friends, hens, cows, wallabies, wood swallow and fat puppies until she gets to ten ladybirds. Then there are dozens of spots on her friend Helga the horse and hundreds of dots on Harry the horse, not to forget the thousands of cars on the highway and millions of stars in the sky at night.

The gentle rhyming couplets and the rhythm of the narrative makes this an excellent read aloud. The illustrations are gorgeous, each additional character having happy faces. I loved the picture of the five wallaby pals who come hip-hopping along, with the cat sprawled on Noni’s back. The countryside, from the sea to the highway is coloured in muted shades of green and blue, and flowers, bees and butterflies will enhance the reader.

This is a wonderful book that will have readers chanting along with the story, poring over the illustrations all the while learning how to count.

Themes: Counting, Ponies, Animals.

Pat Pledger