Alison Lester’s Noni the Pony (Allen & Unwin, $24.99 hb, 24 pp, 9782741758887) is a simple tale about a pony that lives by the sea, eats apples and hay, and plays with the other farm animals – especially her close friends, a dog and cat. Lester’s carefully constructed rhyming couplets ensure that this reassuring story for preschoolers reads well aloud. Her illustrations are suitably simplified for a young audience, as animal cut-outs, with clean lines and bold colours, are superimposed onto lush landscapes of field, forest, and sea. With Noni the Pony,this highly successful and much-loved author–illustrator continues to entrance the very young.

Also aimed at a preschool audience is the exuberant Monkey Red Monkey Blue (Allen & Unwin, $18.99 hb, 24 pp, 9781742374437), by Nicki Greenberg. This book pulsates with colour and movement. It tells the story of two cheeky monkeys and one colourful chameleon who decide to have a midnight feast. Not surprisingly, their spaghetti, fruit salad, pancake, and milk meal has a spectacularly messy end. Greenberg’s minimalist onomatopoeic text is infectious, and her cleverly designed, bright images are full of fun. This is a very engaging book for little ones.

A page from Monkey Red Monkey Blue

Lots of fun can also be had with Never Smile at a Crocodile (Scholastic, $26.99 hb, 24 pp, 9781741696943) in which illustrator Shane Devries imaginatively reinterprets the song by Jack Lawrence and Frank Churchill that was made popular in the Disney version of Peter Pan. Using the song lyrics as the text, Devries presents chunky, square-toothed crocodiles that pursue three small animal friends across fantastical landscapes. Devries’ eerily lit oil paintings bring an aura of the macabre to a song usually associated with Disney’s clean-cut, animated images. A CD of actor and Playschool presenter Jay Laga’aia singing the song is also included. This is an unusual interpretation of a popular verse.

Vashti Farrer’s Lilli-Pilli: The Frog Princess (Scholastic, $24.95 hb, 29 pp, 9781741696202) also puts a different twist on a familiar theme. It tells the traditional tale of a princess in search of a prince. However, Princess Lilli-Pilli is half human and half frog, and her frog’s legs make her adept at leaping and swimming and other un-princess-like activities, which in turn makes it difficult for her to find a suitable suitor. But then a tall, skinny acrobat literally sweeps her off her feet. This rather charming tale is illustrated by Owen Swan, with subdued but quite romantic illustrations in pallid shades of pink, blue and yellow.

There is nothing subdued about Anna Pignataro’s Princess and Fairy: Twinkly Ballerinas (Scholastic, $19.99 hb, 24 pp, 9781741695359). This is over-the-top fairy fare, complete with tutus, wands, wings, toadstools, uber-cute bunnies, and bright-pink glitter. The text is as ornate as the illustrations, as it introduces the reader to a number of ballet plots, ranging from the Nutcracker Suite to Swan Lake. Readers are challenged to find designated objects on each jam-packed page. This is perfect for little girls who love their books pink, sparkly and super-feminine.

A page from It's a Book

In contrast, Rod Clement’s Feathers for Phoebe (HarperCollins, $24.99 hb, 32 pp, 9780732289195) explores the dangers of going over the top, showing that being true to yourself is more important than trying to look like somebody else. Phoebe is a little grey bird who just wants to be noticed. She visits the exotic Zelda who runs the forest’s beauty salon. Zelda soon has the gullible Phoebe decked out in a panoply of gaudy feathers, and armed with a song-and-dance routine guaranteed to draw a crowd. However, Phoebe learns the hard way that simply being yourself is the best way to get noticed. Clement illustrates his engaging animal fable with detailed illustrations of birds, insects and animals – and, of course, brilliantly coloured, beautifully designed, and incredibly opulent feathers. This is a funny and endearing tale.

All Through the Night (Black Dog Books, $24.99 hb, 24 pp, 9781742031521), by Dean Jones, takes the reader on a surrealistic journey through a young boy’s dream world. Before going to sleep, a little boy has one last play with his wooden train. Once asleep, he boards the night train and sets off on a fascinating trip, guided by the benevolent Sandman. Jones’s sumptuous graphic illustrations are suffused with light, and the minimalist text allows the child reader’s imagination full rein. This beautifully designed book takes the reader on a special journey that is well worth embarking on.

A nocturnal journey into the imagination is also at the heart of Starry Starry Night (Pier 9, $29.95 hb, 48 pp, 9781741968194), by Sarah Kate Mitchell. Jeffrey sees a falling star and sets out to find it and to rescue the ideas, dreams, and inventions that it holds. His quest takes him across luminous night-time landscapes, where he meets a host of unusual creatures, including moonbugs, leafbirds, and ticklefish. When he finally finds the star, it is empty, but Jeffrey’s imaginative creatures fill the void. This is a contemplative and haunting journey through one child’s imagination, poetically written and lavishly illustrated.

All through the Year (Viking, $24.95 hb, 36 pp, 9780670073993) is a reflective celebration of a year in the life of a nuclear Australian family: a young girl and her mother, father, two brothers, and their dog. Starting with summer at the beach in January, the book moves through the months and the seasons, highlighting family celebrations such as Easter, Mother’s Day, and Christmas. As well as the changing months and seasons, the passing of time is marked by images of the little brother, as he grows from a babe-in-arms to a toddler. Jane Godwin’s evocative septets lyrically celebrate the seasons, childhood, and family, while Anna Walker’s gentle, decorative illustrations perfectly capture the essence of each season and the loving interactions of family members. This is a perfect book to share.

A page from Starry Starry Night

Oliver Jeffers’s thought-provoking The Heart and the Bottle (HarperCollins, $24.99 hb, 32 pp, 9780007182305) also deals with family. A young girl, encouraged by her knowledgeable father, develops a curious mind. She is interested in everything around her as she and her father explore the stars, the oceans and the skies. But one day her father’s chair is empty, and the little girl is bereft. She puts her broken heart in a bottle, which she hangs around her neck, and no longer takes any interest in the world around her. But some time later she meets a little girl who is still curious about the world, and she is finally able to come to terms with her loss. In this moving and perceptive picture book, Jeffers imaginatively and sensitively deals with the grieving process. He pulls no punches about the effects on a child of losing a parent, but provides solace as he reveals how time can bring healing. Jeffers’s simple but evocative images perfectly complement his perceptive text. This is a remarkable picture book.

The ever-provocative Lane Smith takes a much more light-hearted approach in his irreverent It’s a Book(Walker, $27.95 hb, 32 pp, 9781921720147), which takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the impact of technology. A monkey, totally engrossed in reading a book, is interrupted by a technology-savvy jackass, who asks, ‘What do you have there?’ The monkey answers the jackass’s many questions, which mostly centre around whether you can blog, text, or tweet with a book. Finally, exasperated by the constant interruptions, the monkey hands the book to the jackass. The jackass soon becomes totally absorbed in the story, as will readers of this beautifully designed, funny, and pertinent picture book. Smith uses a subdued palette, stylised figures, and understated visuals, plus a droll sense of humour, to champion the relevancy of both the imagination and the book in a digital world. And, of course, It’s a Book – like the other wonderful and varied stories examined here – can be read again and again without needing a password or a charger.