Allan Ahlberg, the beloved children’s author who charmed generations with his playful characters and catchy rhymes, has passed away at the age of 87.
Teaming up with his wife Janet, an acclaimed illustrator, Ahlberg created numerous bestselling children’s classics such as Burglar Bill, Peepo!, and Each Peach Pear Plum. After Janet’s death in 1994, he collaborated with artists like Raymond Briggs and Bruce Ingman before coming full circle by working with his daughter Jessica on books like Half a Pig and a pop-up retelling of Goldilocks.
“He had a wonderfully playful way with words that could make you smile in just one sentence,” said Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, CEO of Walker Books Group, which published some of his works. “Allan inspired generations of children’s authors, everyone who worked with him, and artists to create some of their finest work.”
Born in 1938, Ahlberg was adopted by a working-class family in Oldbury, West Midlands. “My parents loved me and saved me from growing up in a children’s home,” he told The Guardian in 2006. “But there were plenty of ear clips, no books, and not much conversation.”
After grammar school and national service, he worked various jobs—postman, plumber’s assistant, even gravedigger—until a chance encounter changed his path. The head of Oldbury’s parks and cemeteries, hearing Ahlberg had A-levels, insisted he become a teacher. “I wasn’t keen—I was painfully shy, even embarrassed to buy a bus ticket,” Ahlberg recalled in 2011. “But he made me smarten up and took me to visit schools, just to get a feel for it.”
Teaching became a passion, as did Janet Hall, whom he met at teacher training college in Sunderland. They married in 1969 and settled near Leicester, where Ahlberg taught primary school while Janet illustrated. When she grew frustrated with dull assignments and asked him to write her a story, he later said, “It was like she turned a key in my back—and off I went.”
After many rejections, their breakthrough came in 1976 with The Old Joke Book. The next year, they ventured into fiction with The Vanishment of Thomas Tull, about a boy who stops growing and starts shrinking, and Burglar Bill, who “lives in a tall house full of stolen things,” eats “stolen fish and chips,” and carries “a big stolen sack to work—stealing more.”
Their reputation soared in 1978 with Each Peach Pear Plum, a rhyming I-spy adventure featuring Tom Thumb, Cinderella, and other nursery characters. Critic Elaine Moss called it “a work of genius,” and Janet won the Kate Greenaway Medal for her illustrations.
Ahlberg revisited his childhood in Peepo!, depicting a wartime baby’s day through cut-out peepholes showing “his father sleeping in the big brass bed” and “his sisters searching for a jar to catch fish in the park.” “It was all about the engineering,” Ahlberg explained. “You turn the page to reveal something—a string of little surprises, like in theater.”
Their daughter Jessica inspired The Baby’s Catalogue (born from her love of flipping through catalogs) and The Jolly Postman, a cleverly designed story with real letters tucked inside envelopes. The book became a massive success, selling over six million copies worldwide.
Ahlberg’s playful, rhythmic writing and knack for engaging young readers cemented his place as one of Britain’s most cherished children’s authors. His books, filled with warmth and wit, continue to delight new generations.The book features letters and cards tucked into envelopes, addressed to beloved fairytale characters. After five years of work, it sold over 6 million copies.
An early draft of The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg shows their creative process. Janet passed away from breast cancer in 1994 at age 50, leaving Allan and their 15-year-old daughter heartbroken. Years later, Allan recalled how writing a book in her memory helped him heal: “Putting thoughts into words creates distance. It kept me occupied for a whole year—and then I began to recover.”
After moving to a new publisher, Allan met editor Vanessa Clarke, whom he later married. He also collaborated with illustrators like Bruce Ingman (The Runaway Dinner, The Pencil) and Raymond Briggs (The Adventures of Bert). In 2004, he worked with his daughter on Half a Pig, followed by other projects including a childhood memoir (The Bucket) and a fresh take on Goldilocks.
Even in later years, Allan remained dedicated to writing, often retreating to his garden shed to work. “I’m like a dripping tap,” he joked in 2011. “As I age, the flow slows, but I still show up. I’m less driven to write for hours on end—though I love it just as much.”
