My Farm by Alison Lester

Title: My Farm

Author: Alison Lester

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 5^th October 2022

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: A special 30th anniversary edition in hardback of Alison Lester’s classic story of a country childhood.

Alison Lester grew up on a farm by the sea. This is her story of a memorable year, the year of the palomino pony, told with child-like mischief and humour. Affectionate, funny and full of adventure, My Farm paints a vivid picture of a child’s life on the farm.

From the author of Are we there yet?, a gorgeous, sparkly new cover edition of a classic Australian picture-book. Affectionate, funny, and full of adventure, My Farm gives a vivid picture of a child’s life in the country.

Alison Lester grew up on a farm by the sea in eastern Victoria. My Farm is her story of a memorable year, the year she got a palomino pony for Christmas. Trick-riding horses, mustering cattle, training the dog, competing at the local show, feeding calves, picking mushrooms, raising a baby wombat, building cubbies, cutting hay, swimming ponies in the dam, hypnotizing chooks … all the activities through the seasons are depicted with child-like mischief and humour.

This is a sparkly new edition of a classic Australian picture-book a perfect companion to the best-selling Imagine and Magic Beach.

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For generations, Alison Lester’s books have charmed readers, from The Journey Home, Magic Beach and My Farm, as well as many others. Some of her best-loved picture books are seeing their anniversaries, and this year, it is My Farm that gets to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary. Alison writes and illustrates her picture books, and My Farm is one that gives us an insight into Alison’s childhood on a farm where she rode horses, fed calves, went to the local show, and trained dogs, and spent her life doing amazing things.

Alison Lester is one of those authors who has been a staple in the lives of Australian Children with her picture books and novels for so long that many of us know her name, her stories, and have grown up with these stories. They’re timeless books that are relatable and magical, and because of this, I think they can be enjoyed across generations and by many different people. My Farm evokes a specific experience, yet it is one that lots of kids in Australia will have had, and for those of us who did not grow up on a farm, it is an invitation into a world we do not know. As the story moves through the seasons,  Alison describes what her family does, and how they do it, all whilst referencing her wish for a pony for her birthday, but the pony never comes.

What I liked about this book was the child’s point of view, humour, and mischief that brough the seasons, story, and various activities to life through Alison’s simple yet highly emotive prose and exquisite illustrations, proving that a picture book doesn’t always need to rhyme. In fact, some of the best and the most powerful picture books don’t rhyme, and I believe it is these ones that bring something to life, and that give readers something powerful, emotional, and delightful – a story that means something and builds on the literacy and understanding they have been working on. It is books like this that give insight into different people and different experiences, and that celebrate things that we might not always encounter. Alison Lester is one of those authors whose stories are immersive and inviting, and I love her books, and hope that people continue to love them for generations.