Beloved children’s author Allan Ahlberg dies at 87

LONDON AP British writer Allan Ahlberg author of more than children s books including classics like Eat Peach Pear Plum and The Jolly Postman has died his publisher announced Friday He was Penguin Random House commented 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 humor A multitude of were co-created with his illustrator wife Janet Ahlberg who died in Peepo 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 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 commented it pushed at the boundaries of what it is practicable 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 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 coach He met Janet at coach training college and the couple s first book Here are the Brick Street Boys was published in Then came Burglar Bill in about a burglar who steals a baby and Eat Peach Pear Plum in with its pages of intricately drawn nursery-rhyme characters It won Janet the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration one of the bulk prestigious awards in children s publishing The Jolly Christmas Postman won the same prize in After Janet died of cancer aged just 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 two autobiographies The Boyhood of Burglar Bill and The Bucket Francesca Dow head of children s literature at Penguin Random House reported 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 explained Allan s are several 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 Source