When Alison Lester was six years old, she was given a book called How to Draw Horses. She had a very old Shetland pony, who was so quiet that Alison could dress her in shirts and cardigans. The drawing book showed her how to draw a horse and bring it to life with shading and detail. Alison spent hours under the plum tree in the front yard, drawing horses with chalk on an old blackboard easel. It was the beginning of her life of drawing. She says she wasn't always a good drawer, but that didn't stop her from doing it. Alison 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 writer to win the Melbourne Prize for Literature, for her outstanding contribution to Australian literature and cultural and intellectual life.