Hobbs, Leigh (1953-…), is an Australian artist and writer best known for his humorous children’s books. The Australian Children’s Literature Alliance named Hobbs the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2016 and 2017. A laureate is a person who is honored for outstanding achievement in a particular field. The Alliance is a private organization that promotes the importance of reading, creativity, and stories in the lives of young Australians.
Hobbs has written and illustrated more than 20 books. Many of them feature a scruffy and irritable cat named Old Tom. Other characters include a school bully named Harriet, a group of wild fourth graders called the Freaks, Fiona the pig, Mr. Badger, and Mr. Chicken. His books include Horrible Harriet (2001), Old Tom’s Holiday (2002), Fiona the Pig (2004), Freaks Ahoy (2007), Mr. Badger and the Magic Mirror (2011), and Mr. Chicken Lands on London (2014). In addition to his children’s books, Hobbs’s works also include paintings, drawings, prints, illustrations, sculptures, and ceramics. He also has contributed cartoons to the Age newspaper in Melbourne. An animated television series based on his “Old Tom” books was broadcast in Australia and several other countries in 2001 and 2002.
Hobbs was born on April 18, 1953, in Williamstown, a suburb of Melbourne. He grew up in Bairnsdale, Victoria. Hobbs began writing and illustrating stories while in primary school. He graduated from the Caulfield Institute of Technology (now part of Monash University) art school in 1974. His first job after art school was at Luna Park, an amusement park in Sydney. There, he created two giant caricature figures named Larry and Lizzy Luna. The figures are now held in the Powerhouse Museum, a branch of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, in Sydney. From 1978 to 2002, Hobbs worked as a secondary school art teacher.
