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Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Allan Ahlberg, whose children's books were bestsellers, dies at 87
'I became a gravedigger by a process of elimination,' he said. 'I had been a plumber's mate, a soldier, and a postman.' But he fantasized about becoming a writer. 'I had all the romantic notions of the white suit and the panama hat,' he said in a 2006 interview with The Guardian. 'All the Somerset Maugham images without any words to support them.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up It wasn't until he was 22, and attending Sunderland Teacher Training College (now part of the University of Sunderland), that he met Janet Hall, his future wife, and was inspired to fulfill his dream. Advertisement The couple married in 1969, and Janet Ahlberg, an artist who was tired of designing do-it-yourself crafts books, urged him to write a story that she could illustrate. What followed was a five-decade career that yielded some 150 books. Before Janet Ahlberg died of breast cancer at 50 in 1994, they collaborated on 37 of those books, including 'Each Peach Pear Plum' (1978), 'Peepo!' (1981), 'The Jolly Postman' (1986), and 'The Brick Street Boys' series, beginning in 1975. Advertisement Their collaboration was 'one of the most important and enduring husband-and-wife partnerships in modern British children's literature,' The Sydney Morning Herald wrote in 2011. Still, the couple received their share of rejection slips -- 18 months of them. Then, in a single week, three manuscripts were accepted by different publishers: 'The Old Joke Book' (1976), 'The Vanishment of Thomas Tull' (1977), and 'Burglar Bill' (1977). 'The Jolly Postman' was inspired by the couple's infant daughter, Jessica, who amused herself by playing with the mail while sitting in her high chair. The book included miniature envelopes containing letters to the Big Bad Wolf and other fairy-tale favorites, including one from Goldilocks apologizing to the Three Bears for intruding. 'Each Peach Pear Plum' (published in the United States in 1979) and 'The Jolly Christmas Postman' (1991) were awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal by the British Library Association, recognizing distinguished illustrated books for children. In 2007, 'Each Peach' was named one of the top 10 works published during the medal's first 50 years. Two of Mr. Ahlberg's books -- 'Funnybones' (1980), a collaboration with his wife about a family of skeletons, and 'Woof!' (1986), about a boy who turns into a dog, illustrated by Fritz Wegner -- were adapted as television series in England. In a 1991 article in The New York Times Book Review, Daniel Menaker wrote that in 'The Jolly Christmas Postman,' a sequel that appeared on the Times' bestseller list, 'the authors have taken the secrets of the first book's popularity -- cleverness, detail, surprise and humor -- and amplified them.' After Janet Ahlberg's death ended their 20-year collaboration, Allan Ahlberg worked with other illustrators, including Raymond Briggs, Bruce Ingman, and his daughter, Jessica Ahlberg, who produced the drawings for 'Half a Pig' (2004) and 'The Goldilocks Variations' (2012). Advertisement In a recent tribute on social platform X, Michael Rosen, an author and professor of children's literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, wrote: 'You were a pioneer of great children's literature, both in picture books and poetry,' adding: 'My children loved your books. So did and so do I." George Allan Ahlberg was born June 5, 1938, to a single mother in Croydon, in South London. He grew up in West Midlands with adoptive parents after he spent time in an orphanage. His father was a laborer; his mother cleaned offices and homes. 'My parents loved me and they did me a huge service saving me from growing up in a children's home,' Mr. Ahlberg recalled in The Guardian. 'But there were a fair few clips round the ear, no books, and not much conversation.' He said that 'Peepo!,' an illustrated book about a baby discovering the world, and 'The Boyhood of Burglar Bill,' a 2006 book for older children, set in the early 1950s in West Midlands, were autobiographical. At secondary school, he told The Independent in 2006, 'My highest mark from my English teacher, Miss Scriven, was seven out of 20. This was because she gave marks for handwriting, spelling, and punctuation, but when I wrote I was in a state of high excitement, so she was confronted with an inky mess.' After graduating at 17 and doing three years of national service, Mr. Ahlberg was persuaded by his employer at the cemetery to overcome his shyness and become a schoolteacher. He attended the teachers' college in Sunderland as preparation. Advertisement In 1997, Mr. Ahlberg collected his wife's works in 'Janet's Last Book.' He chose a new publisher, Walker Books, and later married his editor there, Vanessa Clarke. In addition to his wife and daughter, Jessica, he leaves two stepdaughters, Saskia and Johanna. Mr. Ahlberg, who wrote by hand in a shed in the garden of his Leicester home, summed up his style for The Guardian in 2006: 'I like the word flabbergasted, I like the name Horace, and I seem to write quite a lot about sausages.' (Sausages figured prominently in 'The Runaway Dinner,' a book published that year and illustrated by Ingman.) His last picture book, 'Under the Table,' was published in 2023. 'Just because a book is tiny and its readers are little doesn't mean it can't be perfect,' Mr. Ahlberg told The Guardian in 2006. 'On its own scale, it can be as good as Tolstoy or Jane Austen.' This article originally appeared in
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Partners in story and life: Allan and Janet Ahlberg – the couple behind Britain's most beloved children's books
The world of children's literature has lost one of its most beloved voices. British author Allan Ahlberg, who wrote over 150 books and redefined the picture book alongside his late wife and illustrator Janet Ahlberg, passed away on July 29, 2025, at the age of 87. The Ahlbergs' children's books have shaped generations of young readers around the world. Allan and Janet Ahlberg's partnership as an author-illustrator couple was legendary. They were creative soulmates, bound by marriage, art, and an enduring curiosity about the minds of children. As the late academic and children's literature expert Morag Styles wrote in her posthumously published obituary for Allan Ahlberg in the Guardian: 'They enjoyed an intimacy that also characterised their working lives. One secret of their success lay in the dynamic relationship they created between word and picture; another was their joint ability to view the world as if through the eyes of a child.' Their collaboration began almost by accident. In the early 1970s, Allan was working as a primary school teacher in England, and Janet, a trained illustrator, had grown frustrated with the non-fiction commissions she was receiving. As Allan told the magazine Books for Keeps in an article published May 14, 1982, 'Janet hadn't been offered any stories to illustrate, so she asked me to write one. I discovered that I could do it. I found I liked it too—so I kept at it.' The result was Here Are the Brick Street Boys (1975), the first of many collaborations that would come to define children's publishing in Britain. Over the next two decades, they produced hits such as Each Peach Pear Plum, Peepo!, Funnybones, Burglar Bill, and The Jolly Postman, titles that have delighted generations of readers. The couple painstakingly designed their books down to the endpapers and typography. Styles called Each Peach Pear Plum (1978) 'about as perfect as a picturebook could be,' with its nursery rhyme characters and deceptively simple rhyming text. Peepo! (1981), a board book that allows young readers to peer through cut-out holes in the pages, is both a game and a poignant snapshot of life during the Second World War. But it was The Jolly Postman (1986) that cemented the Ahlbergs' legacy. A playful, interactive story told through letters and postcards that readers could physically remove and open, it sold millions of copies worldwide and revolutionised the format of picture books. Their creative process was as unconventional as their books. Though they lived and worked under the same roof, they never shared a studio. 'We don't work together,' Allan told Books for Keeps 'That would drive us both crazy. I need silence when I'm working, for example, and Janet likes having the radio on.' He wrote in the mornings, while Janet, a night owl, illustrated in the afternoons and evenings. Their daughter, Jessica, born in 1980, also shaped their work. Allan once described The Baby's Catalogue (1982), one of their most beloved titles, as inspired by Jessica's fascination with baby images in magazines. Their collaboration came to a heartbreaking end in 1994 when Janet died of cancer at just 50. He compiled Janet's Last Book in 1997, a private volume honouring her life and work. He would go on to collaborate with other illustrators, including Raymond Briggs (The Adventures of Bert) and Bruce Ingman (The Pencil), and later with Jessica, now a successful illustrator herself. In 2014, Allan made headlines for refusing the Booktrust Lifetime Achievement Award because it was sponsored by Amazon. He took issue with the company's tax practices, and his principled stand earned him widespread respect. Allan Ahlberg never stopped writing, but he always remained anchored to the partnership that launched his career. In their books, as in life, Janet and Allan Ahlberg saw the world not just for children but through them. Their stories, playful on the surface, carried the wisdom of adults who understood just how fleeting and important is childhood. Aishwarya Khosla is a journalist currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics. She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks. She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year. She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home. Write to her at or You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More
The Star
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Beloved children's author Allan Ahlberg dies at 87
Ahlberg's books charmed generations of children with simple rhymes, keen observation and gentle humour, many created with his late wife, illustrator Janet Ahlberg. Photo: AP British writer Allan Ahlberg, author of more than 150 children's books including classics like Each Peach Pear Plum and The Jolly Postman, has died, his publisher said on Friday. He was 87. Penguin Random House said Ahlberg died on Tuesday. It did not give a cause of death. Ahlberg's books introduced generations of young children to reading through simple rhymes, sharp observation and gentle humour. Many were co-created with his illustrator wife Janet Ahlberg, who died in 1994. Peepo! (1981) gave a baby's-eye-view of the world and was interactive in a delightfully analogue way, with peep-holes in the pages to spy the next scenes. The Jolly Postman (1986) was even more inventive, incorporating postcards and letters in envelopes for children to engage with while they followed a letter-carrier delivering mail to fairy tale characters. Penguin Random House said it "pushed at the boundaries of what it is possible for a book to be.' Ahlberg also wrote books of jokes, including The Ha Ha Bonk Book, and poetry for primary school-age children, including Please Mrs Butler and Heard It In The Playground. Born in 1938 and raised by adoptive parents in a working-class home in OIdbury, central England, Ahlberg worked as a "postman, plumber's mate and grave digger,' according to his publisher, before becoming a teacher. He met Janet at teacher training college and the couple's first book, Here Are The Brick Street Boys, was published in 1975. Then came Burglar Bill in 1977, about a burglar who steals a baby, and Each Peach Pear Plum in 1978, with its pages of intricately drawn nursery-rhyme characters. It won Janet the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration, one of the most prestigious awards in children's publishing. The Jolly Christmas Postman won the same prize in 1991. "Just because a book is tiny and its readers are little doesn't mean it can't be perfect,' Ahlberg told The Guardian in 2006. "On its own scale, it can be as good as Tolstoy or Jane Austen.' The couple's work brought huge commercial success. The Jolly Postman has sold more than six million copies. The Funnybones series about a playful skeleton household was adapted for television. After Janet died of cancer aged just 50, Ahlberg worked with illustrators including Raymond Briggs and his daughter, Jessica Ahlberg. For adults, he wrote a tribute to his wife, " Janet's Last Book,' and autobiographical volumes The Boyhood of Burglar Bill and The Bucket. In 2014, he turned down a lifetime achievement award from the BookTrust charity because it was sponsored by Amazon, which was facing criticism over its tax arrangements. Francesca Dow, head of children's literature at Penguin Random House, said Ahlberg's books have been described as "mini masterpieces.' "He knew that making it perfect for children matters, and above all that the very best stories for children last forever,' Dow said. "Allan's are some of the very best - true classics, which will be loved by children and families for years to come.' Ahlberg is survived by his second wife, Vanessa Clarke, his daughter and two stepdaughters. - AP
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Allan Ahlberg, British children's author of 'Funny Bones' and 'The Jolly Postman', dies aged 87
Celebrated British children's author Allan Ahlberg has died aged 87, his publisher Penguin Random House has confirmed. Ahlberg wrote 150 books, including beloved titles like 'The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters', 'Funny Bones', 'Burglar Bill', 'Peepo!' and 'Each Peach Pear Plum'. He worked with his first wife, Janet, an award-winning illustrator, for these classics – which sold millions of copies around the world. The prize-winning 'The Jolly Postman', published in 1991, has sold over six million copies. In Euronews Culture's The Books That Made Us, we described "The Jolly Postman"'s 'wild and varied characters' and the happiness that decries from reading such a joyful book. After Janet's death in 1994, he worked with other illustrators like Raymond Briggs and then went on to collaborate with his daughter Jessica for books like 'Half a Pig'. Ahlberg also made headlines in 2014 when he refused a lifetime achievement award because it was sponsored by Amazon, which was facing criticism over its tax arrangements. Francesca Dow, head of children's literature at Penguin Random House, said: "Allan was one of the most extraordinary authors I have had the privilege and pleasure to work with. His brilliant books – so many of them created with his late wife, Janet, the highly talented illustrator – have been described as 'mini masterpieces'.' She added: "Allan's are some of the very best – true classics, which will be loved by children and families for years to come. Dear Allan, we will all miss you enormously." Fellow children's author Michael Rosen said in a tribute on X: "You were a pioneer of great children's literature, both in picture books and poetry. You were clever, funny and wise. My children loved your books. So did and so DO I." Born in Croydon in 1938, Ahlberg was adopted into a working-class family living in the West Midlands town of Oldbury. He worked as a postman and gravedigger before training to become a teacher at Sunderland Teacher Training College, where he met Janet. Ahlberg is survived by his wife Vanessa, daughter Jessica and stepdaughters Saskia and Johanna.
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
British children's author Allan Ahlberg dies at 87
Image credits: X Allan Ahlberg, author of more than 150 children's books including classics such as "Eat Peach Pear Plum" and "The Jolly Postman", has died at the age of 87, said his publisher on Friday. Penguin Random House said that the author died on Tuesday, though it did not share a cause of death. Ahlberg introduced generations of children to reading through his books that included simple rhymes, sharp observation and gentle humour. Many of his works were co-created with his illustrator wife Janet Ahlberg, who died in 1994. Born in 1938 and raised by adoptive parents in a working-class home in Oldbury, central England, he worked as a "postman, plumber's mate and grave digger," according to his publisher, before becoming a teacher. He met his wife at a teacher training college, and their first book, "Here are the Brick Street Boys," was published in 1975. Then in 1977 came "Burglar Bill" about a burglar who steals a baby, and "Eat Peach Pear Plum" in 1978 with varied intricately-drawn nursery rhyme characters. The book won his wife the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration, one of the most prestigious awards in children's publishing. "The Jolly Christmas Postman" in 1991 got the same prize and incorporated postcards and letters in envelopes for children to engage with while the latter-carrier delivering mail to fairy tale characters. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Iraq: Jewelry On Sale For Half Price (See Price List) Jewelry | Search Ads Learn More Undo Image credits: X Ahlberg also wrote books of jokes, including "The Ha Ha Bonk Book", and poetry for primary school-age children, such as "Please Mrs. Butler" and "Heard it in the Playground." For adults, he wrote two autobiographies: 'The Boyhood of Burglar Bill' and 'The Bucket,' and a tribute to his wife, "Janet's Last Book." After the death of his wife, Ahlberg worked with illustrators including Raymond Briggs and his daughter Jessica Ahlberg. Francesca Dow, head of children's literature at Penguin Random House, said the author's books have been described as "mini masterpieces." 'He knew that making it perfect for children matters, and above all that the very best stories for children last forever,' Dow said. 'Allan's are some of the very best – true classics, which will be loved by children and families for years to come.' Ahlberg is survived by his second wife, Vanessa Clarke, his daughter and two stepdaughters.
