AustLit

'The complete Cleo collection in a beautiful hardback edition, starring a little girl with a big imagination, created by children's book legends Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood.

'Meet Cleo, the little girl with a big imagination, who solves problems in creative and delightful ways and always finds ways to have fun.' (Publication summary)

'Charlie loved the sea.

'He loved the seashells and seahorses, the sharks and the stingrays, the crabs and the crayfish.

'He loved the gentle waves that crept up onto the sand and tickled his toes.

'He loved the huge wild waves that crashed onto the sand and made the beach tremble.

'But most of all he loved the whales.

'An elegant and classic picture book text from one of Australia's most respected and awarded authors for children about a little boy who just wants to see a real whale.' (Publication summary)

 (Publication summary)

'Libby Gleeson, AM (1950–) remembers, "There were six children in the family. I was number three and there wasn't a lot of money. We didn't have television and of course there was no such thing as a computer. Books and reading were hugely important. I remember going to the library on a Saturday morning and borrowing five or six books and reading them all by Sunday night."' (Introduction)

'The planes kept flying low above them. They were dropping bombs and the noise drowned out all other sounds. After an hour the signal rang out and they surged forward through the smoke. Thousands of men screaming and yelling, their line was kilometres wide. Behind them came Monash's tanks, those huge, new mobile machines. They smothered the land they ran over; flattening the crops and then any wire left standing. With Russia out of the war, the Germans have sent all the troops to the Western Front. Almost defeated, a small group of Australians fight to hold the enemy back at Villers Brettoneux. Weary after years of fighting and deadlock, Ned and his mates know that the war will be lost if they can't turn the tide. More and more, Ned's thoughts turn to home, not knowing if he will ever see his family, or his brother, again.' (Publication summary)

'Libby Gleeson tells a poignant story about letting go, with evocative illustrations by acclaimed illustrator Anna Pignataro. ' (Publication summary)
 

'In this delightful companion to The Cleo Stories: The Necklace and the Present, Cleo comes up with ingenious ways to make a new friend and find a pet.

'Cleo's best friend is away, her parents are busy, and there's nothing to do but count raindrops - or tidy her room. Just when she thinks she'll never cheer up, Cleo has an idea. In the next story, Cleo longs for a pet but her mum and dad say no. Perhaps the answer is hidden somewhere unexpected.

'Two more endearing stories about Cleo, the little girl with a big imagination who always finds a way to have fun, from the creators of The Cleo Stories: The Necklace and the Present.' (Publication summary)

'If only Jessie would lie down. If only she would go to sleep. But nothing will settle her ... except maybe a little sisterly know-how.' (Publication summary)

'Cleo desperately wants a necklace. Her parents say special presents are only for birthdays...but Cleo doesn't want to wait. In the second story, it's her mum's birthday and Cleo doesn't know what to give her - until she has the best idea of all.

'Delightful, warm and irresistible, these stories show how a little girl with a big imagination can always find a way to have fun.' (Publication summary)

'A funny and touching story of antagonism and love by award-winning author Libby Gleeson, with illustrations by internationally acclaimed Freya Blackwood. Freya Blackwood's stunning illustrations perfectly capture the endearing personalities of boisterous Banjo and head-strong Ruby Red.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Australian picture books enjoy enormous success nationally and internationally but nothing prepared the literary community or the reading public for The Arrival by Shaun Tan. Classified as a picture book, as indeed were all prior works by Shaun Tan, this book is far more than that. His hundreds of pencil images tell a sophisticated tale of migration.' (Introduction)