Janet and Allan Ahlberg fashioned their books from familiar ingredients: from folk and nursery tales from the surrounding and activities of family life from their own memories. The book was five years in the making but the effort paid off with awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Emil/Kurt Maschler Award, and sales of over five Million copies worldwide for The Jolly Postman and its successors, The Jolly Christmas Postman and The Jolly Pocket Postman. But it was The Jolly Postman, published in 1986, that brought Janet and Allan their greatest success. Their books were translated into twenty-one languages - from Catalan to Finnish from Hebrew to Japanese. The following year there were celebrations for an altogether different reason - the Ahlbergs' daughter, Jessica, was born.īy the 1980s, the Ahlbergs were big news, not just in Britain but all around the world. In 1978, Janet's artwork for Each Peach Pear Plum won her the Kate Greenaway Medal. The Ahlbergs had arrived and there would be no looking back. Then, in one week, Penguin took The Old Joke Book, A & C Black took The Vanishment of Thomas Tull and Heinemann took Burglar Bill. Hard though it is to believe, their submissions to publishers were met with rejection slips.

She began urging Allan to write a text for her to illustrate. While Allan worked full time as a teacher, Janet's first work was published. Janet decided against teaching as a career and turned instead to graphic design. Allan Ahlberg had enrolled on the same course. She went to Sunderland to train to be a teacher. Janet Hall was born in 1944 and spent her childhood years in Leicester. Before he fulfilled his ambition, he tried his hand at a variety of other jobs including postman, grave digger, plumber's mate and teacher. From the age of twelve, his dream was to be a writer. 13 Children's Books Featuring Poverty and HomelessnessĪllan Ahlberg was born in Croydon in 1938, but grew up in Oldbury, near Birmingham.30 enticing chapter books for children who are newly independent readers.60 kids books about grief to explain death to children and help them grieve.LGBTQI+ Children's Books celebrating Pride in London and Pride Month this June.Sophie Cameron - our Author of the Month.Best kids books for getting children walking for National Walking Month and Walk to School Week.Shortlist announced for the 2023 Klaus Flugge Prize for the most exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.Refugees - 40 children's books to raise awareness for Refugee Week 19-25 June.

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