Stand quietly in a park, garden, or the woods one day. Listen! Watch! If you are one of the lucky ones, you will see him. Lob! A green man.

You have to be a special person to see Lob, that’s what Grandpa Will says. Lucy’s parents don’t believe he exists, but Lucy does. And she’s delighted when she finally catches sight of the Green Man in Grandpa’s garden.

Then something awful happens, and Lucy feels that her life has turned upside-down. Back at home in London, she wonders whether she’ll ever see Lob again. Will he come and find her?

Linda Newbury, with the vivid embroidery of Pam Smy's illustrations, has conjured a real green man right out of the woods and stories of legend.



COMBINING folklore with good old-fashioned storytelling, Lob is a wonderful novel about loss, familial love and a green-fingered green man...Lob will delight and enchant those aged 7 and over,
Junior News and Mail

This is a charming, beautiful story of love and loss set against a background of gardening and the natural world. Never heavy-handed, it delivers quite a number of poignant messages. Newbery's gentle writing style delivers not only this, but a heart-warming, delightful tale of belief and the bond between the generations. The pen and ink illustrations through out add to this wonderful work of children's fiction for 7 to 10 years.
MyKidsTime.ie

...a masterpiece which older readers will enjoy too.
PD, Bury Free PressBury Free Press Series

The mystical and beautiful fable...is one of my favourite titles of this year
Fiona NobleThe Bookseller

LOB is a gentle, effortless read, yet despite this, the story is intertwined with some difficult issues for young children, which Newbery deals with very sensitively and appropriately for the intended audience...It is an enchanting story which engaged me from the outset and despite the sometimes sad elements, it is an uplifting book, beautifully written and accompanied by the charming illustrations of Pam Smy.
Little Garden Helpers / Mummy Reviews

LOB is written beautifully which makes it a pleasure to read aloud
My Garden

This is a lovely, sensitive book and is beautifully written without ever becoming overly sentimental
My Child

In this book Linda Newbery deals with the difficult subject of the loss of a grandparent with tenderness. There is a real sense of hope for the future in the figure of Lucy, and the tale emphasises how positive memories can feed into that future...The book itself is a handsome production... there is something intensely comforting about this book that I'm sure parents will enjoy as well as children. Especially if they are gardeners! 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
Madeline WheatleyThe Bookbag

Laced with poems, and beautifully illustrated, this is a magical story of believing in the unknown.
The Guardian

A tale told as much by Pam Smy's black and white line drawings as by Newbery's quiet, bright, clear prose.

The book belongs in that English tradition of writing for children in which relationships, time and nature are explored through gardens.
CBBooks For Keeps

Linda Newbery really brings to life the magical qualities of a garden, and Lob may well encourage kids to get out in the garden – if only to see whether they can spot Lob for themselves. All-in-all Lob is a magical book, and would make a great read for a child that’s into gardening or just loves being outdoors.
Emma CooperCoopette.com

there's something timeless about this lovely story, not only in its theme, which links us back to generations past, but also in the telling of it: elegant, sedate, beautifully crafted, filled with a warm kind of hope and old-fashioned charm.
The Ultimate Book Guide

An exquisite novel for the more sensitive seven to nine-year-olds.
The Sunday Telegraph

Lob will sneak under the skin of cynical early teens.
The Observer

Linda Newbery tells her story beautifully, evoking empathy and emotion without ever straying into sentimentality.
The Scotsman

(Linda's) eponymous Lob, made of rain and wind, of time gone and time waiting, embodies regeneration.
Mary Shine ThompsonThe Irish Times

This is a charming, beautiful story of love and loss set against a background of gardening and the natural world. Never heavy-handed, it delivers quite a number of poignant messages. Newbery's gentle writing style delivers not only this, but a heart-warming, delightful tale of belief and the bond between the generations. The pen and ink illustrations through out add to this wonderful work of children's fiction for 7 to 10 years
Fallen Star Stories

The book is illustrated with beautiful drawings by Pam Smy, which add to the feeling of magic. Lob is an excellent example of how well Linda writes about the countryside. She always makes me wish I was there.
The Book Witch

Newbery holds the reader with her endearing characters, evocative scene-setting and poetic language...An uplifting, enchanting book.
The Oxford Times

This book has the appearance of an engaging read, thanks to the work of illustrator Pam Smy. My eight year old son was instantly drawn in, as his grandpa has an enormous garden in Wales, and the story immediately has him spellbound.
Dulwich Mum