Alison Lester
An inspirational Australian author and illustrator
Born in Berwick, Victoria on the 18th of November, 1952. She first began illustrating books in 1979. she is a strong activist in developing children's literacy and learning- especially for Australian Indigenous peoples- and for environmental awareness and conservation. for a full list of Alison's achievements visit the link below:
http://alisonlester.com/pages/biography
Some of Alison's well known picture books include:
One small island
Sophie Scott goes south
Kissed by the moon
Magic beach
Are we there yet?
I'm green and I'm grumpy
Who's that knocking?
Noni the pony
Noni the pony goes to the beach
Running with the horses
Our island
The 7 children and their favorite things collection (When Frank was four, Tessa snaps snakes, Rosie sips spiders, Clive eats Aligators, Ernie dances to the didgeridoo, and Celeste Sails to Spain)
One main feature I have recognised with Alison Lester's line of work is she incorporates her past experiences together with love of literature and sending important messages across to her audiences.
I'm green and I'm grumpy and Who's that knocking? are both imaginative, guessing books with repetitious phrases, very descriptive use of adjectives and rhyming. The same can be said for Noni the pony and Noni the pony goes to the beach where there is rhyming throughout the story.
Noni the pony books as well as Running with the horses, My farm, The quicksand pony, and The snow pony all relate to Alison's love of horses and ponies when she was younger and growing up around them. She was an adamant rider and relates to the magestic nature of horses and the qualities that can be described through her books.
Magic beach, Are we there yet?, Our Island, Kissed by the moon, One small island, and Sophie Scott goes south all relate to Alison's respect and love for the environment, nature and the information you can learn from any local area about their way of life there.
Also Are we there yet? and Sophie Scott goes south both carry Alison's experiences travelling around Australia and Antarctica herself. Alison went on a 6 week voyage to Antarctica in 2005, and e-mailed her experiences each day to schools and families around the world. She used children's interpretations of her descriptive work to illustrate her book to portray her journey through 'the eyes of a child'. Royalties and profits from the book are donated to the Royal children's Hospital in Melbourne.
Our Island is another book where Alison has visited the local Indigenous community of Gununa (Mornington island) in the Gulf of Carpenteria to create a book on the island, its animals and its traditions and culture. Local Indigenous children from the islands primary school also helped illustrate the book with the features of the island they know well and see everyday. The royalties are donated to the islands primary school to fund creative arts projects within the community.
Her book One small island carries significant information for young readers on the environmental impacts humans have had on Macquarie Island over the years of its discovery and human exports on the island. She sends an important message to young readers on the impacts humans can have on secluded islands and how the damages impact the ecosystem. She warns of the dangers but also the positive outcomes that can help preserve what was once destroyed and sends a message of what else can be done to help sustain ecosystems being destroyed by humans.
