Leigh Hobbs
Welcome to the lawless world of Leigh Hobbs: here you will have your sensibilities appalled by a loutish feline whose anti-social behaviour and disgusting personal habits do not prevent him from being one of the most endearing creatures you are likely to meet. Leigh Hobbs is amongst this country's finest artists: the worlds he creates are small-scale, suburban, filled with the humdrum of domesticity - yet they burst at the seams with vitality, mischief and fun. In this exhibition, you will make the acquaintance of some of Australian children's literature's most delightful fictional characters: Fiona the Pig, Horrible Harriet and - the star of the show - that big bad cat, Old Tom.
I first met this marmalade beast in the place where he began, in the children's section of a bookshop. At first I wondered what Old Tom was - a cat? a child? a 'baby monster', as Hobbs himself describes the little brute? But the fact is that Old Tom doesn't need to be anything: Tom, with his tendencies toward laziness, disobedience, dominance and jealousy, is the embodiment of our poorest human traits. He is the rapscallion that is born in us in childhood, and never quite outgrown. Yet Old Tom is also ourselves at our best: he is creative, inventive, adventurous and playful, eager to be loved and deeply loving in return. Like so many of Hobbs' splendid creations, Old Tom is wickedness barely contained in a coat of many colours - but behind this wickedness is such spirit and enthusiasm for life that it is impossible not to forgive and adore him, just as his long-suffering adoptive mother, Angela Throgmorton, unfailingly forgives and adores him.
And that, I think, is the key to the brilliance of Leigh Hobbs' work: though anarchy rules, though the rules of polite behaviour are ignored and the characters positively revel in their gleeful badness, the world of Leigh Hobbs is nonetheless a world of love, where characters bring joy to one another and where those who are different or in some way outcast can find safety and acceptance.
Old Tom might be a monster, but as Angela says, 'That monster is my baby!' And she takes him home to cuddle and comfort and care for him - which is what, underneath all that badness, he needs and deserves.
Hobbs has the gift that makes artists great: he makes things look easy. There's a seeming simplicity to his free-falling stories and bold artwork - yet every detail is faultless, every expression priceless. No one captures personality and emotion as masterfully as does Leigh Hobbs. His characters live as real, believable beings - and they do so because they draw upon what is real. Old Tom, Horrible Harriet and Fiona the Pig are us, at our best and worst. We see our friends, our families and ourselves in them: through them, we see that there is a warm place in this world for everyone.
For further information about Leigh and his books, please visit his website www.leighhobbs.com
Contributor: Sonya Hartnett
Sonya Hartnett is the internationally acclaimed author of several novels, including Thursday's Child, winner of the 2002 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and Forest, winner of the 2002 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year: Older Readers. In 2003, Sonya's adult novel, Of a Boy, won the Age Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award. Sonya lives in Melbourne. In 2000 and again in 2003, Sonya Hartnett has been named one of The Sydney Morning Herald Young Novelists of the Year. Her work has been published internationally with editions available in the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway and Denmark.
Reviews
Fiona the Pig
Leigh Hobbs
A neat pig? Such a disgrace. Fiona just does not fit in. She is the pink pig of the family and her parents consider her quite unpiglike. Fiona luxuriates every day in a tub of bubbles and washes with scented soap. "What's soap?" asks her mother. "Why can't she wallow in mud like we do?" Fiona is oblivious to her parents' concerns. She happily keeps her room in their apartment in Pig Towers neat and pretty. She spends time fussing with her dollies and having tea parties with them. Fiona's father wonders, between burps, what is wrong with his daughter. In an effort to make her parents happy, Fiona puts on a show for them. Dressing in a fluffy pink tutu, she performs the ballet, "Pigs Can Fly." Her parents are so alarmed they consult Dr. Pinkysnout. He tells them that most pigs are clean and neat. When Mr. and Mrs. Pig try to be more like their daughter they find it impossible. They realize how difficult it is to change and the story ends with a message of love and acceptance. Kids should enjoy the humor of this book as well as the ink and watercolor illustrations of the delightful Pig family. 2004, Running Press Kids, $15.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Carolyn Mott Ford (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7624-2092-8
Hairy Legs
Christine Harris
Illustrated by Leigh Hobbs
He is hairy, wears boots, football shorts and a T-shirt. His nickname is Hairy Legs. And he is a fairy. The trouble with Hairy is that he said a rude word, and the King has punished him: either he does three good deeds before the new moon or he will become a garden gnome forever. This is the start of a hilarious story where Hairy meets Jevan, a human, finds himself stuck at his house and totally at his mercy in a bid to accomplish the good deeds. Will he succeed? But what makes a deed a good deed? If you thought that fairies were girls and that fairy stories were for only for girls, think again! This story is hilarious and is sure to bring smiles from its readers. Besides the humour, Hairy Legs is a story about friendships and gaining confidence. The illustrations are by Leigh Hobbs of Old Tom fame and perfectly complement this most unusual story. A fun read for mid-primary readers. 2001, Random House, P/Back, A$11.95. Ages 8 to 10. Reviewer: Cecile Ferguson (Lollipops -- What's On For Kids (Australia)).
ISBN: 0-09-184072-4
Old Tom's Holiday
Leigh Hobbs
When Angela Throgmorton wins a luxury vacation, she is thrilled at the chance to get away from her housework and caring for her lazy cat, Old Tom. He, in turn, is perturbed to find that he is not invited to go along. We follow Angela through her exciting travel adventures on trains, planes, ships, and buses in the text. She is occasionally reminded of what she has left back home as she avidly enjoys many experiences. Perceptive readers, however, will notice that she has not been traveling alone after all. When she begins to realize how much she misses Old Tom, he surprises her by falling into her lap. They finish the trip happily together. The full-page pen, ink, gouache and acrylic scenes entice us to seek out the hints of Tom's presence: the tips of his ears over a fence, his tail in a crowded street, perhaps a framed painting of his curlicue eye patch in an art gallery. The illustrations are scatty combinations of cartoon-like characters in fuzzy suggestive settings, with large-nosed Angela and dumpy Tom looking the worse for wear. The fun begins on the cover. 2002, Peachtree Publishers, $16.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
Angela Throgmortin wins a luxury trip and is excited that she can get away for awhile, especially since she gets to leave Old Tom, her cat, behind. She is tired of cleaning up and caring for Old Tom who is messy and never cleans up after himself. So Angela packs her bag and goes off on her adventure alone! Tom, on the other hand, has other plans and sneaks into her bags when she is not looking. As Angela enjoys her vacation away from Old Tom she is unaware that Old Tom is following her everywhere she goes. As time goes on, Angela begins to miss Old Tom and she realizes that without anyone to share her prize with, the trip is just not complete. Children will have a wonderful time trying to find Tom hidden in the crowd as Angela visits exotic places. This is a colorful and funny picture book which will delight a child with a vivid imagination. 2004, Peachtree Publishing, $16.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Zeta Shearill (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-56145-316-1
Old Tom, Man of Mystery
Leigh Hobbs
Angela Throgmorton, tired of doing all the work around the house, decides that it is time for Old Tom, her sly, rambunctious cat whom we have met in Old Tom's Holiday to do his share. Suddenly Old Tom feels sick, so she puts him to bed. There he turns himself into the Man of Mystery. As Angela goes about her chores, she notices strange things happening. That night, she follows footsteps out of the house. It is, of course, the Man of Mystery going about his mischievous business. She is a bit slow, but he finally begins to look familiar to her. When she goes home and finds his bed empty, she waits angrily for his return. But soft-hearted Angela just cannot stay angry with him. The clever cat is soon getting his breakfast in bed. (Gotta love that little devil!) The bare text is but a frame for the frantic sequence of full-page scenes in which the cartoon characters interact. Sketchy pen-and-ink black lines define characters and objects, while watery gouache and acrylic paints supply much of the emotional content of slapstick humor. Sketchy cat heads fill the endpapers, while Tom, in his black bat-like cape and mismatched eyes, carrying a fish skeleton, sets a tone of surreal absurdity on the jacket. 2005, Peachtree Publishers, $16.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-56145-346-3
Updated 2005
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