Angela Throgmorton adores Old Tom, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. When she gives him 'The Big Book of Beauty' the results are astonishing. But will it go to Old Tom's head? Old Tom, star of six previous books and with his own TV series, is one of Leigh Hobbs' most loved characters.
'Old Tom is a big, resounding yes for children who live in a world of nos. In all these hilarious adventures, Hobbs is right on the beating heart of what it is to be a child.' Meg Sorensen, Sydney Morning Herald
'Few illustrators can capture with such precision the emotions and personality of a character, allowing the artwork to say much more than the brief, wry text.' Sonya Hartnett, Australian Book Review
Selected among the best early childhood books for 2007 by Early Childhood Australia, in the Into School category.
About Leigh Hobbs
Leigh Hobbs was born in Melbourne, grew up in Bairnsdale and has lived and worked in Sydney, Sale and London. He is an artist who works across a wide range of mediums, as well as writing and illustrating his children's books.
Leigh's first arts-related job was at Sydney's Luna Park, where he created Larry and Lizzy Luna, now in the Powerhouse Museum. Leigh's ceramic Flinders Street Station Teapot is in the National Gallery of Victoria. Many of his cartoons have appeared in the Melbourne Age newspaper. Leigh Hobbs was an art teacher for 25 years but he is best known for his children's books featuring his characters Old Tom, Horrible Harriet and Fiona the Pig. Old Tom has been adapted into an extremely popular TV series.
Leigh has twice been shortlisted for the CBCA Picture Book of the Year Awards (for Horrible Harriet and Old Tom's Holiday) and his books have won every major Children's Choice Award in Australia.