Alison Lester's book Magic Beach was all about kids' imagination. A new film keeps the focus

The second-to-last page of Alison Lester’s classic children’s book, "Magic Beach," deeply resonates with me. The illustration depicts a beach shack where four children are snuggled in bed, enjoying the blissful sleep that only a full day of beach play can bring, having explored real and imagined treasures, adventured in rock pools, and conquered the waves. Outside the window, the ocean whispers, hinting at new adventures to begin the next morning.

Lester's illustrations perfectly capture the ease of a holiday with cousins and the excitement of staying under the same roof for a few days during the summer break. In the book, the evocative beach shack page reads: “At our beach, at our magic beach, the old beds are comfy and wide.” This page is a favorite of Lester herself.

The Australian children's author and illustrator told ABC Arts, "It's almost like the front room of the beach shack my mother bought when I was eight, which I now share with my sisters." Lester created "Magic Beach" in 1990, partly to recall how she felt playing on the Victorian coastal beaches as a child, but also from observing her own three children’s activities at the beach.

In another illustration, children carry buckets of water from the shore to the moat of a sandcastle; a happy child is almost completely buried in the cool sand. Lester is delighted that her book still resonates; from her own childhood to that of her grandchildren, "playing at the beach hasn't changed much," she says. This scene replicates Lester and her young family’s beach experiences and also reflects how she and her family, including her now nine grandchildren, still spend time together today.

Lester says, “Just out of (page) view, just to the right, is a huge silver leaf tree that hangs over the beach, and it’s always shady, so that’s always where the babies are put to sleep. And now, that’s for the grandchildren; the babies always have their little naps during the day, and the little blue wrens hop around. It’s a very special place.”

Now, 35 years after the book’s release, this special place has been brought to the screen with the film adaptation of "Magic Beach," directed by Robert Connolly ("Paper Planes," "The Dry"). Lester says there had been talk of adapting her classic work into a film for 20 years, but it is only now that it has finally come to fruition.

So, is Lester nervous about her work finally reaching new audiences through a new medium? Not at all. "The film looks back at the book, they've used illustrations from the book... it still has the core of what 'Magic Beach' is about, which is about children and their imaginations," she says. "(But) the film itself is a standalone film... I'm really pleased that it's a separate thing. I'm happy that something I created a long time ago has been made into a beautiful film."

In the film, just as in the book, the children get to enjoy whimsy and magic, but Lester also hopes parents will take something away from it: a reminder to sometimes let children run free. "But that's easier said than done, because of course we all want to protect (our children) and make sure they're safe. But I think we have to let them run and fall over... even if it hurts a bit, they get up, and they get stronger," she says. "If you're just controlling everything they do, they're missing out on a lot of magic and the power of discovering the world for themselves."

In "Magic Beach" – as in much of Lester’s work – there is another message conveyed through her words and pictures. It's there, subtle but powerful, in her deliberate subversion of gender stereotypes. In some ways, Lester is reflecting her own life experience, depicting a mother mowing the lawn and a father pushing a trolley through the supermarket with the children in tow. Or, in "Magic Beach," a father watches the children swim while a mother relaxes on the beach reading a book.

Lester constructs her books by working around both words and images simultaneously. (Though, in reference to the latter, Lester admits with a laugh that it's a "fantasy": "What do they say? 'The definition of an optimist is a mother who takes a book to the beach.'") However, Lester's message is serious; and at a time when children encounter restrictive gender norms almost everywhere they look, there is an almost radical sense of freedom in her pages. "I realized that I just hated the stereotypes that pushed women into certain jobs, and I think that's the same for men as well."

The "Magic Beach" film is a mix of live-action and animation. It’s divided into 10 segments, each telling the adventures and imaginings of a different child (and a dog). Lester hopes audiences will enjoy watching the film as much as she does. “I hope people get it. It’s very sweet... every time I watch it, I feel really happy and relaxed, and like I’ve had a very pleasant journey.” “It’s a very different film for people who are used to watching a story and having everything explained.” “(The film) leaves a lot of room for children’s imaginations.”

"Magic Beach" was released in cinemas on January 16th.