Beloved Children's Author Allan Ahlberg Passes Away At 87
Image Source: Center For Literacy In Primary Education
Allan Ahlberg, a renowned author, has sadly passed away at 87 years old. Born in 1938 in Croyden, UK, Ahlberg was adopted by a working class couple from Oldbury as a baby.
“My parents loved me and they did me a huge service saving me from growing up in a children's home, but there were a fair few clips round the ear, no books and not much conversation.” – A.Ahlberg
After grammar school and national service, he worked as a gravedigger before settling into a teaching career. This was reportedly the inspiration for his hit series of children’s stories, Funnybones. While teaching, he met his wife, Janet Hall, who went on to illustrate many of his books. Janet sadly passed away from cancer in 1994, so he worked with other illustrators in his later years, including Raymond Briggs, who was responsible for The Snowman, and his daughter Jessica.
'I like the word flabbergasted, I like the name Horace and I seem to write quite a lot about sausages." A.Ahlberg
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The first of Allan Ahlberg’s 150 published books went on sale in 1976 (The Old Joke Book), and two years later, Each Peach Pear Plum cemented him in the children’s genre. Ahlberg continued to grow in popularity when, in 1986, The Jolly Postman sold over six million copies. Ahlberg was also responsible for Woof!, a tale about a boy who transformed into a dog. Woof! was adapted into a children’s television series by CITV that ran for eight years.
Despite his success, Allan Alhberg has never let the limelight get to him. In 2014, he turned down a lifetime achievement award after discovering it was sponsored by Amazon.
Allan Ahlberg is survived by his wife Vanessa, daughter Jessica, and stepdaughters Saskia and Johanna.
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