Allan Ahlberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-06-05)5 June 1938 (age 86) Croydon, England |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Education | Sunderland Technical College |
| Genre | Children's books |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse | Vanessa Clarke |
Janet Ahlberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1944-10-21)21 October 1944 Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 15 November 1994(1994-11-15) (aged 50) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Sunderland Technical College |
| Genre | Children's books |
| Years active | 1976–1994 |
| Notable awards | Kate Greenaway Medal (1978, 1991) |
| Spouse | |
Janet Ahlberg (21 October 1944 – 15 November 1994; néeHall) andAllan Ahlberg (born 5 June 1938) 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.[1] They worked together for 20 years until Janet's death from cancer in 1994. He wrote the books and she illustrated them.[2] Allan Ahlberg has also written dozens of books with other illustrators.[a]
Janet Ahlberg won twoKate Greenaway Medals for illustrating their books[3][4] and the 1978 winnerEach Peach Pear Plum was named one of the top ten winning works for the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005).[5] In the US it was published byViking Press in 1979 asEach Peach Pear Plum: an "I Spy" story; the national library catalogue summary explains, "Rhymed text and illustrations invite the reader to play 'I spy' with a variety ofMother Goose and other folklore characters."[6][7]
Allan Ahlberg was born 5 June 1938 inCroydon.[8] Anillegitimate child, he was adopted and brought up inOldbury, inSandwell in theWest Midlands.[9] He has called it "a very poor working-class family" and identified himself as the baby inPeepo! (1981). He grew up with "no books and not much conversation".[2] In 2008, he toldThe Independent that his first job was as a gravedigger.[10]
Janet Hall was born 21 October 1944 inYorkshire[11] and brought up inLeicester.[9] The Ahlbergs both trained as teachers atSunderland Technical College, where they met during the 1960s and married in 1969.[9]
Janet illustratedMy Growing Up Book by Bernard Garfinkel (New York: Platt & Munk, 1972), which the USLibrary of Congress calls "A child's record of the things he has learned and done from the time of birth through age five. Also provides a place to paste photographs."[12]
Their joint work began when she asked him, a primary school teacher, to write a story.[2]The first three published Ahlberg collaborations appeared in 1976 and 1977,The Old Joke Book,The Vanishment of Thomas Tull, andBurglar Bill (1977).[9]Vanishment was bound in hardcover with adust jacket, while many of their early works were "pictorial laminated boards".[1] ForEach Peach Pear Plum (Kestrel), Janet won the 1978Kate Greenaway Medal from the BritishLibrary Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by aBritish subject.[3] For the 50th anniversary of the Medal, a 2007 panel named it one of the top ten winning works, which composed the ballot for a public election of the nation's favourite.[5]Each Peach Pear Plum finished a close second to the 1977 medalist,Dogger byShirley Hughes; the margin was 1% of the vote.[13]
Probably their greatest success wasThe Jolly Postman, published by Heinemann in 1986; Allan Ahlberg toldThe Guardian in 2006 that it had sold over six million copies. It made innovative use of envelopes to include letters, cards, games and a tiny book.[2] According to oneWorldCat library record,"A Jolly Postman delivers letters to several famous fairy-tale characters such as the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella, and the Three Bears. Twelve of the pages have been made into six envelopes and contain eight letters and cards. Each letter may be removed from its envelope page and read separately." Its first-listedLibrary of Congress Subject Heading (US) is "Toy and movable books".[14]
The Jolly Postman required five years to make, and much discussion with Heinemann and the printer before it was issued in 1986. It won many awards including theKurt Maschler Award for integrated writing and illustration.[9][15] There were two sequels,The Jolly Christmas Postman (1991), for which Janet won her second Greenaway Medal,[4] andThe Jolly Pocket Postman (1995).
Working together, the Ahlbergs produced many popular books for a range of ages. Some, such asPeepo! andThe Baby's Catalogue are aimed at babies and toddlers. For older children, they wrote books such asBurglar Bill,Cops and Robbers,Funnybones and theHappy Families series. Allan also wrote two books of verses,Heard it in the Playground andPlease, Mrs Butler, which Janet illustrated, and more text-heavy books such asWoof!.[1][9]
Janet died of breast cancer in November 1994 at the age of 50, when their daughter Jessica was 15 years old. Allan Ahlberg says with regret that they "made an absolute fortune" but "never really had holidays".[2]
Allan later married his editor, Vanessa Clarke ofWalker Books, his new publisher. As of 2017, he is the author of more than 150 published books, including two in 2004 illustrated by his daughter Jessica, who now creates picture books with other writers such asToon Tellegen.[2][16] Father and daughter collaborated again, completing amovable picture book published late in 2012,The Goldilocks Variations (Walker), "a new twist in an old fairy tale".[17][18]
Allan Ahlberg is a supporter ofWest Bromwich Albion F.C., having grown up in the neighbouring town toWest Bromwich.[19]
Beside the two Greenaway Medals, Janet Ahlberg was a "Commended" runner up three times, forBurglar Bill (1977),The Baby's Catalogue (1982), andThe Jolly Postman (1986).[20][b]According to Allan, their daughter Jessica inspired the latter two, and his own "Burglar Bill" book is autobiographical,The Boyhood of Burglar Bill (Puffin, 2007).[2] A football story set in war-ravaged England,Boyhood made theGuardian Children's Fiction Prize shortlist.[21]
Allan appeared as a castaway on theBBC Radio programmeDesert Island Discs on 14 November 2008.[22] He described their work together, her illness and death, and the creation ofJanet's Last Book.[22]
From July to September 2011, Janet and Allan's work was celebrated atThe Public arts centre inSandwell (which encompasses Allan's hometown Oldbury). The exhibition included works by schoolchildren with local artists "in response to" Ahlberg stories.[23]
In July 2014, Allan Ahlberg declined the (inaugural) Booktrust Best Book Awards 'Lifetime Achievement Award' (which has a 5000 GBP prize attached). He cited ethical grounds related to the award's principal sponsorAmazon.com. In a letter toThe Bookseller he stated that "Booktrust does good work and has a well-deserved reputation ... For my part, the idea that my "lifetime achievement"— i.e. the books (and all of Janet's work too)—should have the Amazon tag attached to it is unacceptable."[24][25]
Allan Ahlberg sits on the Council of theSociety of Authors.[26]
Bookseller World mentions about 80 "UK First Editions Books" by Janet and Allan. Five series comprise more than 40 books, none published byKestrel orViking; 35 singletons include 8 published by Kestrel (a Vikingimprint) from 1976 to 1983, and 12 published by Viking from 1984 to 1994.[1]
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The Baby's Catalogue series,American Board Book editions, copyright 1982[c]
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Most of these books were illustrated by other people, exceptMy Brother's Ghost.[a]
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Janet Ahlberg | |
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| Allan Ahlberg | |
