‘Halibut Jackson’ by David Lucas: introvert brilliance at its finest

Have you met Halibut Jackson?

I hadn’t. Not until I found him hiding in Dave’s basket of books in the Acorns’ charity shop in Ledbury last week. I read him from cover to cover, bought him for 50p, and brought him home with me.

I shared him with the Read Aloud Ledbury group at Ledbury Library on Friday 16th January. Half of the group were octogenarians, but everyone seemed to warm to Halibut and enjoy his story. I also shared him with a GCSE English student on Wednesday 21st January as an engaging way to revise simple, compound and complex sentences. We had fun.

He’s definitely a keeper.

Others seem to think so too:

‘Instant classic… It is original, clever and sophisticated enough to speak to children of all ages.’ (Financial Times)

‘A charming book about overcoming shyness.’ (Observer)

‘…beautiful, detailed, light-hearted,’ (The Sunday Times)

‘The search for Halibut in David Lucas’s witty and original illustrations is delightfully satisfying.’ (Guardian)

‘An impressive debut. His tale has classic narrative elements that support a firm visual authority.’ (New York Times)

‘A beautifully illustrated story.’ (Baby and You)

‘A sparkling debut.’ (Carousel)

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Here’s a three minute introduction from my @Read with Julia YouTube channel:

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