Allen Ahlberg has died

[SchnizelVonKrumm]

Once upon a time, or so they say,
A jolly postman came one day
From over the hills, and far away

Very sad news.

ETA he was Allan, not Allen.

😥

RIP Allan Ahlberg. Loved his (and Janet’s) books as a kid myself, my kids love them too.

Please Mrs Butler and Dog in the Playground were my favourites (can still remember parts of them!) and funny bones. Rest in peace.

Mother Hubbard down the cellar
I spy Cinderella

We still shout ‘Boggla Boll!’

Genius man. Adore his books as did my kids, now a little too old for them. We loved Burglar Bill and Cops and Robbers ❤️

DS used to roar with laughter at funnybones when they put the dog back together wrong and he barked Owoff and Foow!

Cinderella on the stairs
I spy the three bears

I am so sad to hear this, such fond memories of my mother reading his books to me and then me reading them to my children. Even now they are in theory too old, they are still on their shelves and I cannot let them go.
I can remember now the Jolly postman coming out and getting it for Christmas, I would spend hours getting all the letters out to look at over and over again

Sad news.

I loved reading Peepo and Each Peach Pear Plum to my children.

Peepo, The Jolly Postman series, Funnybones, Happy Families and The Better Brown Stories were adored in this household and have earned a permanent home here.

RIP Allan Ahlberg. Thank you for all the pleasure you and Janet gave us.

I used 'Please Mrs Butler ' often as a young teacher .
I'm old enough to remember when dogs were able to wander into school playgrounds and quite frequently did so. The poem is so accurate!
I love all his books.

Oh my goodness, I forgot Cops and Robbers - we loved that. Grandma Swagg!

I can recite each peach pear plum too, my kids are still just about young enough for a bedtime story. I loved Peepo when they were tiny.
Both of their grandads are retired police officers but officer Pugh reminds me of my adored FIL so much!

Three bears out hunting
I spy Baby Bunting

I have a copy of a lovely book that he wrote about his wife Janet after she died called Janet's last book. I think there were limited copies of it produced. It was gifted to my late mum and I can remember the day Allan called round to give it to her. Thinking of others in the midst of his grief. Such a kind and thoughtful man. RIP.

I loved Each Peach Pear Plum, Peepo, Starting School, The Baby's Catalogue and all of the Happy Families series. So humourous and well-observed.
I recently picked up a battered copy of another poetry book by Allan - Heard it in the Playground. It's so reminiscent of primary school life for both children and teachers.

"Je suis dans le French group.
It is bon.
Our teacher est Mademoiselle
Robinson."

"Boys and girls go out to play...
The sooner the better, the teachers say"

I’m so sad to read this news but what a lovely thread op and a fitting tribute.

RIP Allen Ahlberg.

He’s left behind.a wonderful legacy for us, our dc, and gc, to continue to enjoy.

The hours I must have spent looking at the tiny details in their books - especially Each Peach Pear Plum.
I also loved Miss Brick the Builders baby and funny bones - so much humour in many of the books. My youngest child adored the baby catalogue.
It’s wonderful that children still love their books and those of Shirley Hughes even though they depict a very different world to the modern day - I guess the depiction of love and happy family life still resonates.

It must be two decades since I last read his books but with all these tributes the sheer joy of his work has come flooding back to me.

And thanks @RaspberryIce for introducing me to that very touching poem
"The Boy Without a Name".

Such an understanding of what it's like to suffer with eczema and a real clarion call to children to be kinder to those who're different.

"Oh, children, don’t be crueller than you need.
The faces that you spit on or ignore
Will get you in the end"

Made me well up just as much as the memories of the mirror and the pictures of the 1940s house
I hope his family come upon this thread and find some comfort in how much his work and that of his wife was appreciated.

My children loved Peepo.

I used to teach Year 2 and every year I did a topic on Allan Ahlberg and his books. He had a variety of jobs before he took up writing, including being a teacher and even a grave digger, if I remember rightly! He wrote The Jolly Postman books after seeing the enjoyment his own children got from opening letters. I loved his books, as did the children I taught. Him and his wife were very talented - Janet died some time ago now. Rest in peace x

One of the greats - our DC grown up but we have kept Each Peach ..., Peepo and Chicken, Chips and Peas

I've just read his obituary in the Times and it did make me well up - he and his wife gave us so many happy memories, we had so many of their books and my kids absolutely loved them. Like @AnneLovesGilbert I had many of them memorised and would recite them to the DCs as they went to sleep and the words and phrases are part of family lore. Still when one of us swipes a chip off another's plate or a bit of ice cream, it's always - "That's a nice ice cream - I'll have that!"

I love this thread.

Here is the rule for what to do
Whenever your teacher has the flu
Or for some other reason takes to her bed
And a different teacher comes instead

His poems and stories were very relatable and grounded.

Well maybe not boys turning into dogs at awkward moments, but the way he wrote it made it seem very plausible