Lob Hardcover – 4 February 2010

Lucy loves spending her holidays with her Grandparents and in particular helping her Grandad in his garden. He tells her about a character who he calls Lob who helps do things around the garden like weeding, keeping tools clean etc. All done at night though when everyone is asleep. Grandpa has seen Lob but poor Lucy never has. She tries and tries but the harder she does the less she will see for Lob will only appear when he wishes to.Lob is essentially the story of the Green Man whose foliate face adorns many churches and other sacred places. He harks back to Pagan times and is sometimes known as Jack in the Green or Herne the Hunter.This charming story is about the rites of passage...........Lucy's Grandpa dies and with him Lob disappears. Lucy still believes he exists though and somewhere deep in Lobs memory he recalls Lucy asking him something but as it's Winter and he's sleepy, he can't quite remember what it was she asked. Come Spring when the sap starts to rise, he remembers and starts a long journey to find her. Lucy has grown up a bit more though and she starts to question whether her Grandpa was teasing her.........A superb story for children and adults alike. A gentle book for gentler times maybe.

This is a bittersweet story dealing with loss as well as the nature of belief. All of this is wrapped up in the story of Lob, a kind of combination of Green Man and household spirit. There is real magic here, and a story which fosters a genuine love of nature and all that grows, with an emphasis on the natural cycles of the world. Newbery's use of the Green Man is inventive and new, without departing far from existing ideas.This book is extremely well-written and beautifully illustrated. It had a lovely old-fashioned feel to the voice, which is lyrical and would be great read aloud. The main character of Lucy is well-drawn and interesting: curious, enthusiastic and creative. I'm sure all child readers would find something in her to identify with. The relationship with her Grandpa is another high point and will be familiar to many children who find a special closeness with a grandparent.Overall, there is much to commend this book: beautiful writing, warmth and depth of feeling, a healthy engagement with nature and its cycles, support for children facing loss.

Yet another magical story from Linda Newbery!Packed with BEAUTIFUL and enchanting illustrations, again from the very talented Pam Smy, this is a truly LOVELY story about `The Green Man' - known here simply as `LOB'!Lucy shares a secret with her grandpa in the garden. Nobody believes in `Lob' except she and her grandpa, but all goes horribly wrong - for awhile at least when Lucy is faced with a traumatic event, and it seems that `Lob' has deserted her...Linda Newbery has a wonderful knack of telling the most simplest of stories that captivate and bring out the child once again in all of us. Her books will be treasured for generations.Five stars!

This is a charming green tale. It is probably better read to oneself rather than as a class read-aloud unless you have some kind of visualiser. This is because the font and wording changes are important at times. I love Lob's eventual home - reminding flat-dwelling children that they too can have access to the outdoors.

This book is amazingI would consider ages 7-14 to read this bookI love the mystery and suspenseLinda Newbery is an amazing authorAnd here other books are just as good as wellREED NOW!!!!!!😂😂😂😂😊😀😁Fenella Thompson 10