Libby Gleeson AM (born 1950) is an Australian children's author. Born in
Young, New South Wales
Young is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and the largest town in the Hilltops Region. The "Lambing Flat" Post Office opened on 1 March 1861 and was renamed "Young" in 1863.
Young is marketed as the Cherry Ca ...
, she is one of six children, the sister of former
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
TV
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
Correspondent Michael Gleeson, and the mother of ''
Home and Away
''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...
'' actress
Jessica Tovey
Jessica Tovey (born 10 November 1987) is an Australian actress. Tovey graduated from the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts and has made appearances for various drama companies. She is best known for her role of Belle Taylor on the long ...
and
Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...
journalist Josephine Tovey. Her sister, Margie Gleeson, works as the head teacher of Creative and Performing Arts at
Albury High School
, motto_translation = To the stars through difficult and challenging ways
, location = Kiewa Street, Albury, New South Wales
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, established =
, type = Gover ...
.
She studied at the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
where she took history before teaching for two years in the rural town of Picton near
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. In the mid-1970s she lived for five years in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
where she taught English and then
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, where she began to write her first novel, ''Eleanor Elizabeth''. Once returned from overseas she taught at the University of Sydney.
In the last twenty years, she has written twenty books and taught occasional courses in creative writing. She specialises in picture books, novels for young children and also novels for slightly older readers. She's also written scripts for the ABC's ''
Bananas in Pyjamas
''Bananas in Pyjamas'' is an Australian children's television series that first aired on 20 July 1992 on ABC. It has since been syndicated in many countries and dubbed into other languages. In the United States, the "Pyjamas" in the title wa ...
'' and '' Magic Mountain''. She is married to scientist Euan Tovey, has three adult daughters and lives in Sydney's inner west. She is currently a Fellow on the World Research, Advisory and Education Team o MindChamps with a focus on education.
Picture books
*''One Sunday'' Illustrated by John Winch
*''Mum Goes to Work'' Illustrated by Penny Azar
*''Where's Mum?'' Illustrated by Craig Smith
*''Sleep Time'' Illustrated by Armin Greder
*''Big Dog'' (1991) Illustrated by Armin Greder
*''The Princess and the Perfect Dish'' (1995) Illustrated by Armin Greder
*''The Great Bear'' (1999) Illustrated by Armin Greder
*''An Ordinary Day'' (2001) Illustrated by Armin Greder
*''Shutting the Chooks In'' (2003) Illustrated by Ann James
*''Cuddle Time'' (2004) Illustrated by Julie Vivas
*''Amy and Louis'' (2006) Illustrated by
Freya Blackwood
Freya Blackwood (born 1975) is an Australian illustrator and special effects artist. She worked on special effects for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy from 2001 to 2003 and won the Kate Greenaway Medal for British children's book illustration ...
*''Clancy and Millie and the Very Fine House'' (2009) Illustrated by Freya Blackwood
*''A Simply Spectacular Hat'' (2009) Illustrated by Dee Texidor
Junior fiction
*''Skating on Sand'' (1994) Illustrated by Ann James
*''Hannah Plus One'' (1996) Illustrated by Ann James
*''Queen of the Universe'' (1997) Illustrated by David Cox
*''Hannah and the Tomorrow Room'' (1999) Illustrated by Ann James
*''Dear Writer'' (2000) Illustrated by David Cox
*''My Story: The Rum Rebellion, the diary of David Bellamy'' (2001)
*''Hannah the Famous''(2004) Illustrated by Ann James
*''Ray's Olympics'' (2006) Illustrated by David Cox
*''Happy Birthday X3'' (2007) Illustrated by David Cox
*''Clancy's Long Walk'' (2007) Illustrated by Chantal Stewart
*''Red'' (2012)
Young adult fiction
*''Eleanor, Elizabeth'' (1984)
*''I am Susannah'' (1987)
*''Dodger'' (1990)
*''Love Me, Love Me Not'' (1993)
*''Refuge'' (1998)
*''Mahtab's Story'' (2008)
Awards
*1991
Children's Peace Literature Award
Children's Peace Literature Award is an Australian literary prize awarded every other year by the South Australian Psychologists for Peace, an interest group of the Australian Psychological Society.
The Children's Peace Literature Award was ina ...
Dromkeen Medal
The Dromkeen Medal is a literary prize awarded annually by the Courtney Oldmeadow Children's Literature Foundation for those who have advanced children's literature in Australia. The Medal was established by bookseller, Joyce Oldmeadow in 1982, ...
*2011
NSW Premier's Literary Awards
The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...