Beloved children's books author Allan Ahlberg, who wrote popular publications such as "Each Pear Pear Plum" and "The Jolly Postman," has died at age 87.
Ahlberg was an introvert who became the author of many best-selling works, which he created through collaborations with his wife, Janet Ahlberg, and other illustrators. The late author's passing was announced by his publisher, Penguin Random House, which did not provide details on where or how he died.
Allan Ahlberg Dead at 87
When he was young, Ahlberg held a series of solitary jobs, including digging graves. In 2008, the author said that he was looking for a job in the open air where people would leave him alone, causing him to become a gravedigger by a process of elimination.
But when he was 22 years old, Ahlberg attended Sunderland Teacher Training College, where he met his future wife and became inspired to fulfill his dream. The couple married in 1969, and Janet urged her husband to write a story that she could illustrate because she was tired of designing do-it-yourself crafts books, according to the New York Times.
This was the beginning of a lengthy career that spanned a five-decade period during which Ahlberg wrote about 150 books. Before his wife died of breast cancer in 1994, the couple collaborated on 37 books, including "Peepo!" and "The Brick Street Boys."
An author and professor of children's literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, Michael Rosen, wrote a tribute on X for Ahlberg. He said that the late author was a pioneer of great children's literature, both in picture books and poetry.
Additionally, the head of children's literature at Penguin Random House, Francesca Dow, said that Ahlberg was one of the "most extraordinary authors" that she had the privilege and pleasure to work with, BBC reported.
Writing Children's Books
Talking about "Peepo!" in 2011, Ahlberg said that it interested them to see what fun they could have with a baby's shifting perspective and adapting drawings to fit with the theme. The birth of the couple's daughter, Jessica, also inspired the author to write other books, such as "The Baby's Catalogue."
After Janet passed, Ahlberg married Vanessa Clarke, who was his editor at Walker Books. Later, he collaborated with other illustrators on future projects. These illustrators include Bruce Ingman and Raymond Briggs.
In 2011, the author said he was far from being the best writer in the world, noting that Janet was "very good" but was not the greatest illustrator in the world. He said they were like twins who really wanted their books to be good, as per People.
