'Roo Rescue! Noni the Pony Rescues a Joey by Alison Lester

Noni the Pony heads out one day with her buddies Coco the Cat and Dave the Dog for a leafy green trail ride.

But who is that sad little fellow with a long tail on the trail?

It's a wallaby joey, all on his own,
who says in a soft voice, "I want to go home."

The lost little joey is in luck. The three friends want to help, and Noni quickly comes up with a plan.

"We'll ask on the way.
Your wallaby mob can't be far away."

But Koala is drowsy and refuses to be disturbed. Wombat has been in asleep in his burrow and knows nothing. Platypus is so shy that when asked, she just swims away. Emu has eyes only for her five chicks, and the nocturnal Goanna, Quoll, and Possum are snoozing, uninterested in wandering wallaby mobs.

The little wallaby is too worried to smile, so Noni invites him to come home with her for awhile. The sun is fading and the little Joey is shedding tears when they reach Noni's home, but...

... the Joey sees... his mob of wallabies, looking for him.

The little lost Joey is found and is soon happily on his way home, in Alison Lester's sweet story of a lost and found little one, Noni the Pony Rescues a Joey (Simon and Schuster, 2019). Being lost from home and family is a common fear of youngsters, and Alison Lester's third book in her Noni series, is an upbeat rhyming narration, with her charming, well-rounded little spotted pony and pals ready to pitch in to help out in a reassuring story with a happy homecoming.

Other books by author-illustrator Allison Lester are Noni the Pony and Noni the Pony Goes to the Beach.