Allan Ahlberg Dies at 87: UK Children's Author Legacy

British families across the nation are mourning the loss of one of the country’s most treasured children’s authors. Allan Ahlberg, the creative genius behind beloved classics like Each Peach Pear Plum and The Jolly Postman, died on Tuesday at the age of 87. His publisher, Penguin Random House, confirmed the news but did not reveal the cause of death.

A Legacy Carved in Rhyme and Imagination

Allan Ahlberg’s impact on children’s literature cannot be overstated. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he authored more than 150 books that introduced countless generations to the joy of reading. His works have sold an astonishing 17 million copies worldwide, making him one of Britain’s most commercially successful children’s authors.

The magic of Allan Ahlberg’s writing lay in his ability to connect with children through simple rhymes, sharp observation, and gentle humour. His books didn’t talk down to young readers; instead, they celebrated the wonder and absurdity of childhood in ways that resonated with both children and adults.

From Humble Beginnings to Literary Stardom

Born in Croydon in 1938, Allan Ahlberg’s journey to literary fame was far from conventional. Adopted as a baby and raised by working-class parents in Oldbury, near Birmingham, he grew up in what he later described as “a house with no books, and very little conversation”.

Before finding his calling as a writer, Allan Ahlberg worked a diverse range of jobs that would later inform his authentic voice in children’s literature. He served as a postman, plumber’s mate, and gravedigger. His transformation from gravedigger to teacher came through an unexpected encounter. The superintendent of Oldbury’s parks and cemeteries, Mr McGibbon, approached him whilst he was digging a grave and suggested he should become a teacher instead.

“I was below ground digging a grave one day when Mr McGibbon leaned over the edge and told me he didn’t think I should be a gravedigger, I should be a teacher,” Allan Ahlberg recalled. This pivotal moment changed his life’s trajectory entirely.

The Janet Partnership: A Creative Marriage

At Sunderland Teacher Training College in the 1960s, Allan Ahlberg met Janet Hall, who would become both his wife and creative partner. Their 1969 marriage marked the beginning of one of the most successful collaborations in children’s publishing history.

“If I hadn’t met Janet there, I might never have been able to become a writer,” Allan Ahlberg reflected in 2006. Janet suggested that he write stories to accompany her illustrations, and this partnership would produce 37 books together before Janet’s tragic death from breast cancer in 1994 at just 50 years old.

Their first book, Here are the Brick Street Boys, was published in 1975. This was quickly followed by Burglar Bill in 1977 and the award-winning Each Peach Pear Plum in 1978. Janet’s illustrations for Each Peach Pear Plum earned her the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal, one of the highest honours in children’s book illustration.

Masterpieces That Defined a Generation

Allan Ahlberg’s most celebrated work, The Jolly Postman, published in 1986, revolutionised children’s publishing. The interactive book took five years to create and featured real envelopes containing letters that children could remove and read. Penguin Random House described it as a work that “pushed at the boundaries of what it is possible for a book to be”.

The success was phenomenal. The Jolly Postman has sold over six million copies worldwide and won numerous awards, including the Kurt Maschler Award. Its sequel, The Jolly Christmas Postman, earned Janet her second Kate Greenaway Medal in 1991.

Other beloved Allan Ahlberg creations include Peepo!, which offered readers a baby’s-eye view of the world through clever peep-holes in the pages, and Funnybones, a series about a family of skeletons that was later adapted into a BBC television series.

A Principled Stand Against Corporate Power

Allan Ahlberg demonstrated his moral principles in 2014 when he declined a lifetime achievement award from BookTrust after discovering it was sponsored by Amazon. In a letter to The Bookseller, he wrote: “Could BookTrust not have found a more moral sponsor? Tax, fairly applied to us all, is a good thing. It pays for schools, hospitals – libraries!”

His stance against Amazon’s tax arrangements showed that his commitment to education and public services extended beyond his writing. “When companies like Amazon cheat – paying 0.1% on billions, pretending it is earning money not in the UK, but in Luxembourg – that’s a bad thing,” he argued.

Continuing the Creative Journey

After Janet’s death, Allan Ahlberg found love again with Vanessa Clarke, his editor at Walker Books. He continued writing prolifically, collaborating with illustrators including Raymond Briggs and Bruce Ingman. In a beautiful full-circle moment, he also worked with his daughter Jessica on several books, including Half a Pig and The Goldilocks Variations.

His final published work, Under the Table, appeared in 2023, demonstrating that his creative fire burned bright until the very end. The whimsical tale, illustrated by Bruce Ingman, featured the same playful imagination that had delighted readers for nearly half a century.

Tributes Pour In From Literary Community

The children’s literature community has responded to Allan Ahlberg’s death with an outpouring of love and respect. Fellow children’s author Michael Rosen paid tribute on social media, writing: “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”.

Francesca Dow, head of children’s literature at Penguin Random House, described Allan Ahlberg as “one of the most extraordinary authors I have had the privilege and pleasure to work with”. She added: “His brilliant books – so many of them created with his late wife, Janet, the highly talented illustrator – have been described as ‘mini masterpieces'”.

Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, CEO of Walker Books Group, highlighted his unique gift: “He was enormously playful in spirit and language and had the ability to make you smile in one sentence. Allan inspired generations of children’s writers, inspired all of us who worked with him, and inspired artists to make some of their very best work”.

The Enduring Magic of Allan Ahlberg

What made Allan Ahlberg’s work so special was his understanding that children deserved respect as readers. His poetry collections, including Please Mrs Butler and Heard it in the Playground, captured the authentic voice of school life. He had an uncanny ability to remember what it felt like to be a child, perhaps drawing from his own experiences of growing up without books.

His sales figures tell an extraordinary story: his poetry alone has sold 1.5 million copies, the Happy Families series sold 2.5 million copies, and The Jolly Postman series sold five million copies. These aren’t just numbers; they represent millions of children who discovered the joy of reading through Allan Ahlberg’s words.

Allan Ahlberg leaves behind his wife Vanessa, daughter Jessica, and stepdaughters Saskia and Johanna. But perhaps more importantly, he leaves behind a literary legacy that will continue to enchant children for generations to come. His books remain “true classics, which will be loved by children and families for years to come”, ensuring that the gentle giant of British children’s literature will never truly be gone.

In an era where digital entertainment competes fiercely for children’s attention, Allan Ahlberg’s work reminds us of the irreplaceable magic of a good book. His death marks the end of an era in British children’s publishing, but his stories will continue to spark imagination, encourage reading, and bring families together around the simple pleasure of a well-told tale.