Noni the Pony Goes to the Beach

Noni the Pony #2

by Alison Lester

Noni the Pony and her friends are off to the beach! Their playful day is going swimmingly...until Dave the Dog follows a whale a bit too far out to sea. Luckily, Noni is there to rescue the poor pup and bring him back to safety.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Animals, Childrens, Summer, Fiction, Horses

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Has a son Lachie Hume, who is also a published children's book author.

Reviews

[Gaby]

“Noni the Pony is friendly and funny” and a great character for young children, especially those who love horses.

This trip to the beach involves Noni the pony, Dave the dog, Coco the cat and four cows that are referred to as ‘the ladies next door’. They spend the day sliding down sand dunes, frolicking in the water, building sandcastles and having a nap (although this activity’s sole participant is Coco the cat). Young children love books that rhyme and this story reads beautifully with a clear beat and lovely vocabulary. Despite being for young readers, there are great examples of descriptive language and phrases that ‘show don’t tell’, for example, “scattering seagulls into the sky”. The clear, beautiful illustrations enhance the story as you chuckle at Coco the cat (who is often asleep) and smile along with Noni and Dave. There are also opportunities for children to practise counting. ‘How many ladies next door?’ and ‘Can you count all the creatures in the rock pool?’ for example.

[Ruth Ann]

I love this book - the cows are "the ladies next door" sliding down the sand to the beach with the pony and cat and dog!

Delightful illustrations and rhyming text with frolicking dolphins - what more could we need!?

[Linda]

Such lovely rolling rhythm and rhyme. Read-aloud to every littlie you can muster.

[Kalynne]

Date: 08/04/23
Attendees: 72
Theme: Beach and Ocean
Introduction and announcements: Well Hello Everybody
Well hello everybody can you touch your nose,
Touch your nose, touch your nose
Well hello everybody can you touch your nose
Touch your nose
(switch out action)

Book one: Noni the Pony Goes to the Beach by Alison Lester

Song/rhyme/game one: Down by the Bay (ocean rhymes)
Whale with a poka-dot tail
Fish making a wish
Shark learning to bark
Seal kissing an eel
Shrimp riding a Blimp
Clam eating a ham

Book two: Beach House by Deanna Caswell

Song/rhyme/game two: The Jellyfish Songs by GoNoodle, Moose Tube (with dance ribbons)

Book three: The Big Beach Cleanup by Charlotte Offsay

Song/ rhyme/ game three: A Sailor Went to Sea (with felt props)

Announcements: Water Safety Handouts

Activity: coloring pages, sensory table with kinetic sand

[Becky B]

Noni the Pony goes to the beach with his friends. They have all sorts of fun, avoid disaster by rescuing a friend, and go home happy.

This is a very cute story about a pony, a dog, a cat, and three cows who go to the beach together. I really liked the illustration style, and felt that the rhymes were done well. My four and five year old nieces loved this and it has been reread several times this week since we got it from the library. I'm going to have to hunt down the first Noni the Pony book and look into getting both for the elementary library at my school. Recommended to animal lovers and those looking for cute beach stories.

[Lydia]

A rhyming story of Noni the pony and friends' trip to the beach and the adventures they had.

Fun, simple story of things to do at the beach and how different people enjoy doing different things. Also a good tiny lesson in there on being careful how far out you swim and swimming with a buddy!

No content issues.

[Molly Cluff (Library!)]

A simple story about a pony who goes to the beach with her dog and cat friend. Each page has a rhyming sentence associated with it. I mostly just like all the beach vocabulary this incorporates: waves, tide pools, sand dunes, etc. Not the most interactive book on the block, but could be great for talking about what kinds of things you see on the beach.

[Cecilia]

This book lives up to the cuteness of the first one. Definitely an excellent sequel. I love those gals next door! I especially love that Noni the Pony is friends with them and includes them in her adventure to the beach.

[Colorado Buck]

liked it. cute read about a pony - who goes to the beach. it rhymes and has lots of animals in it. pony,cat, cows, dog, seagulls, dolphins, whale, crab, snail, the pony saves the dog, it's cute. they make sand castles,

[Dan Hyer]

Not as good as some of her other books, and the original Noni the Pony, but still worth reading.

[Nikki]

Miss (almost) Three liked this book and after I read it, she then "read" it, repeating the names of Noni the Pony and her friends.

[Mark Adams]

Simple fun story for kids who love horses.

[Karla]

not bad but nothing super great about this story either

[Miss Sarah]

Noni the Pony and her friends head to the beach for the day with many adventures. Preschool and up

[Leslie]

Another fun book about Noni the Pony. It would be fun to read this in Music and Movement and then pretend to be horses.

[Victoria]

Lovely book for pre schooners. Noni the pony visits the beach, and is a good friend.

[Amber]

Toddler and preschool
Rhyming

[Stacey Socholotuk]

A fun and simple tale for the younger readers in the crowd.

[Barbara]

Noni, a pony, spends a blissful day at the beach with her friends, Dave Dog and Coco the Cat. Although everything is simply wonderful, Dave requires rescuing after he goes out too far in the water. I liked how the animals engaged in activities other than the usual mundane ones, in this case, exploring a tide pool, watching for whales, and simply enjoying time together. The artwork in this book originally published in Australia consists of pastels and close up views of the animals set against natural scenes. The friendship between the animals is very clear on every page.

[Renee]

I picked this up from the library to read to my 4 year old daughter and 6 year old son. They both loved it. It is full of entertaining rhymes, fun illustration and familiar animal characters. My son enjoyed identifying the rhyming words and my daughter enjoyed pointing out all the different animals.

Shortlisted for the Children's Book Council of Australia award 2015 - I wouldn't be surprised if it won. We will have to wait until August to find out.

[Rachel]

A gentle, rhyming story about friends playing at the beach. Sweet illustrations accompany this straightforward story, which is suitable for all ages. While it's a lovely story about having fun at the seashore, nothing really helps it stand out either. Recommended.

[Aimee]

Of course, I'm going to love everything with a derpy looking horse. All the characters are adorable, actually, and the vibrant colors and rhymthic text would make this a good-read-aloud for preschools. I can't wait to read the other Noni Pony book.

[Corinne]

I love the illustrations, but for some reason the story was a little strange for me. I can see a horse or dog at the beach, but when the whole farm comes...
It also felt like there was a little moral thrown in at the end as kind of an afterthought.

[Edward Sullivan]

Frolicking with friends at the beach.

[Maddypictures]

This Australian import offers a series of random events throughout Noni the Pony's day at the beach with friends: frolicking on the beach, napping in a hammock, peering into tide pools.

[Amanda]

Sweet. Good read for those little ones who are getting ready for a beach day.

[Samantha]

A rhyming story in which animals enjoy spending time at the beach.

PreK-2.

[Lynn]

Rhyming couplets are long but work well with similes "Dave dives like an arrow" and vocabulary builders like nipped, swells.
Simple illustrations are OK for preschoolers.

[Hannah Moore, MLIS]

Cute, sweet, fun.

[Tracie]

Rhyming text relate the beach adventures of a playful pony and her pals in this sweet tale of friendship.