Janet and Allan Ahlberg were a British married couple who created many children’s books, including picture books that regularly appear at the top of “most popular” lists for public libraries.
The Ahlbergs worked together for 20 years until Janet died of cancer in 1994.
Allan wrote the books and Janet illustrated them.
Janet and Allan Ahlberg were married and settled near Leicester. Allan was working as a primary school teacher and Janet had started illustrating. She asked her young husband to write her a story.
Probably the Ahlbergs’s greatest success was The Jolly Postman. It made innovative use of envelopes to include letters, cards, games and a tiny book.
Influenced by comics and cartoons, their perfect partnership went on to produce masterpieces including Peepo!, Each Peach Pear Plum and The Baby’s Catalogue.
These books have all become children’s classics, with their rhythmic prose, their mix of dottiness and sentiment appealing both to young children and to the parents who read them aloud.
Allan has authored of more than 140 published books, including two in 2004 illustrated by his daughter Jessica, who is a professional illustrator.