The Painted Ponies

A little girl whose family runs a travelling show falls in love with some wild ponies...but what will she do when she realises they long to be set free?

LONG-LISTED: 2020 ABIA's, Children's Picture Book of the Year LONG-LISTED: 2020 Indie Book Awards, Indie Book of the Year Children's category SHORT-LISTED: 2020 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards, Five to Eight Years category

Matilda loves staying at Grandma Lucky's, riding Luna in the front paddock and playing with the painted ponies in their carved wooden wagon.

The gold palomino, the chestnut, the bay,
the pinto, the brown and the dappley grey.

One day, Lucky tells Matilda about when she was a little girl and the real ponies were her friends...

A big, beautiful story about friendship and freedom, from Australia's favourite picture book creator, Alison Lester.

About the Author

Alison Lester grew up on a farm by the sea, and first rode a horse as a baby in her father's arms. Her picture books mix imaginary worlds with everyday life, encouraging children to believe in themselves and celebrate the differences that make them special. Alison is involved in many community art projects and spends part of every year travelling to remote Indigenous communities, using her books to help children and adults write and draw about their own lives.

In 2012, Alison became Australia's first Children's Book Laureate, a position she shared with Boori Monty Pryor. In 2016, she was awarded the Dromkeen Medal for her outstanding achievement in the creation of Australian children's and young adult literature, and in 2018 she became the first children's book creator to win the Melbourne Prize for Literature, for her outstanding contribution to Australian literature and cultural and intellectual life. In 2019, Alison was awarded an Australia Post Legends Award and featured on a stamp, as well as being the recipient of a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2019 Australia Day Honours List.