Libby Gleeson

When Clancy moves from his old house - a small, cozy bungalow - to his new house - a tall, urban townhouse - he does not share his parents' enthusiasm for this new abode. Everything seems too big to him, and he thinks longingly of the spaces in his old home that made him feel safe and comfortable. Eventually going outside, he begins to play with some of the empty boxes left over from the move, and encounters Millie, the girl from next door, who introduces herself and asks to join his game. show more As the two play make-believe, Clancy forgets to be unhappy, and begins to adjust to the idea of this being his new home...

Talented Australian author/illustrator team Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood, who have also collaborated on such titles as Half a World Away (originally Amy & Louis in Australia), Look, a Book!, and many other titles, join forces again in Clancy & Millie and the Very Fine House. A sensitive examination of the emotional difficulties involved in moving house, it presents a hopeful vision of that experience, emphasizing the opportunity for new friendships and experiences, as exemplified by Clancy's games of make-believe with Millie. I like stories that emphasize the inner resources of the child, and Gleeson's tale here does just that. The accompanying artwork from Blackwood, who is one of my favorite contemporary Australian illustrators, is charming, and is particularly skillful in the scenes in which Clancy compares his former home to his current one. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for stories about moving and/or about imaginative play, and to fellow fans of Freya Blackwood. show less

Australian author/artist team Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood, who have also collaborated on such titles as Half a World Away (Amy and Louis in the original Australian edition) and Clancy & Millie and the Very Fine House, present this picture-book exploration of the power of books to take us anywhere in the world, at least in our imaginations. Two children, clearly from an impoverished background, find a book on the ground and are transported in magical ways away from their gritty show more surroundings...

The text in Look, A Book! is extremely sparse, with a number of two-page spreads entirely wordless, making the artwork especially important in conveying the story. As a long-time admirer of Freya Blackwood - The Selkie and the Fisherman and Her Mother's Face being two particular favorites, of the works she has illustrated - one who picked up this book largely for her artwork, that balance of text and image was fine with me. As expected, the visuals here were appealing, with sepia tones predominating. I appreciated the way in which Blackwood took elements of a fairly blasted landscape, such as discarded trash, and incorporated it into the magic, as in one scene in which the children riding off on a soda bottle. I don't know that this is destined to be a favorite of mine, but I did appreciate the overall message concerning the power of story, and I liked the almost William Carlos Williams-esq finding of beauty in impoverished places to be found in the artwork. show less

Originally published in Australia as Amy & Louis, this adorable and endearing picture-book tells the story of two young friends who are inseparable, until one of them moves "half a world away." Whether building towers that reach the sky, or discovering the hidden shapes in the clouds above, the two best friends (and next-door neighbors) spend their days together, summoning each other with a special call - "Coo-ee Am-ee" / "Coo-ee Lou-ee" - whenever they want to play. But when Amy and her show more family move far away, their call no longer works. Or does it...?

I originally added Half a World Away to my TBR shelf because I am interested in the work of illustrator Freya Blackwood, whose artwork can also be found in the gorgeous The Selkie and the Fisherman, and I wanted to see more of her work. I was not disappointed, in that respect - the paintings here are delightful, with the same deft use of light and color, and sweetly expressive characters, as in the selkie book - but I also discovered a talented author, in Libby Gleeson, who was previously unknown to me. I can't say I found the resolution surprising, but it was sweet and satisfying, for all that. Recommended to young children who have had to move, or who have mourned a friend having to move, as well as to Freya Blackwood fans. show less

A curious thing happens when Armin Greeder and Libby Gleeson collaborate. Words and images are pummelled together forming a torrent of ideas that carries the reader through the rapids of meaning of the story. Without consciousness the reader looses themselves into the story, into a wash of words and images that carry them deep into the meaning of the text. Throughout their creative partnership these artists have always taken the risk to tell authentic stories of tragedy and hope, despair and show more new beginnings. ‘I am Thomas’ is no different.

Although ‘I am Thomas’ is the reflection of Thomas on his dreams and imaginative hopes for the future he is drowned in the shouting of a conforming world. Enough to deafen or drown it is the courage of Thomas to determine his own path that we are left with.

Libby Gleeson writes to draw the reader in. ‘I am not the child I once was’, fills us with both the hope of an unnavigated future as well as the grief of lost richness, imaginative adventures of childhood. With this sentence, the reader is plunged into the story and given no choice but to identify themselves as the first person.

Armin Greeder uses design, colour and his unmistakable charcoal sketches to comfort, disturb and provoke. While the overbearing words threaten judgement upon Thomas, the images clearly direct them jaunts at the reader. There is no standing apart from this text. Once confronted by the demands of conformity and blindness we might find it easier to bend and join the masses. But not Thomas, and perhaps, if I am strong enough, not me.

Using the texts of Gleeson and Greder in the classroom is not difficult. The class conversation around the images is enough to leave the students questioning the text and then themselves. Drama, poetry and even choral readings spring easy from this rich story. Surely sometimes though, it is enough to read such a text and bathe in its depths. Identity, peer pressure and growing up in an often demeaning world is enough to connect with any student let alone adult.

'I am Thomas’ is a rebellious and powerfully independent message that no reader can stand apart. The only question we are left with is do we board the bus? show less