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A selection of classic children's picture books on a bright yellow background

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Children's reading lists

The best classic children’s picture books

Where to start with Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s books

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Features

‘It was a duo that was made in heaven’: Why we love Janet and Allan Ahlberg

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Peepo! (Board Book)

PEEPO! has become a classic for babies and toddlers. It follows a baby through the day in a style full of wit, charm and ingenuity. A series of holes peeping through to the next page leads the child on to the next stage in the day, giving a hint of what is to come. An original books that has long delighted young children - and their parents! 
 
 'The best book ever published for babies' - Books for Your Children 
 'Surely no one - baby, child or adult - could fail to enjoy Peepo!' - Sunday Telegraph 
 
 'A book to last a lifetime . . . this is a perfect book for sharing' - Nursery World

Janet and Allan Ahlberg were one of Britain's most successful artist/author teams. From 1975 until shortly before Janet's death in 1994, they created many acclaimed picture books. Allan taught for some years before becoming a full-time writer and Janet studied Graphic Design and became an illustrator. EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM and THE JOLLY CHRISTMAS POSTMAN were both Greenaway Medal winners. PEEPO! won the Best Books For Babies Award in 1985. Allan Ahlberg lives in Leicestershire.

PEEPO! has become a classic for babies and toddlers. It follows a baby through the day in a style full of wit, charm and ingenuity. A series of holes peeping through to the next page leads the child on to the next stage in the day, giving a hint of what is to come. An original book that has long delighted young children - and their parents!

Funnybones: The Collection

Penguin presents Funny Bones: The Collection by Allan Ahlberg, read by Stephen Mangan. 
 
An audio collection of the perennially popular Funny Bones books by Allan Ahlberg 
 
Featuring: Funnybones, The Pet Shop, The Black Cat, Bumps in the Night, Give the Dog a Bone, Dinosaur Dreams, Skeleton Crew and Mystery Tour.

Janet Ahlberg (Author) 
Janet Ahlberg, along with Allan Ahlberg, created some of the world's most popular picture books, including EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM and THE JOLLY CHRISTMAS POSTMAN, both winners of Greenaway Medals, and THE BABY'S CATALOGUE, inspired by their daughter Jessica. Janet died in 1994. 
 
Allan Ahlberg (Author) 
Allan Ahlberg, a former teacher, postman, plumber's mate and grave digger, is in the super-league of children's writers. He has published over 100 children's books and, with his late wife Janet, created such award winning picture books as EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM and THE JOLLY POSTMAN - both winners of the Kate Greenaway Medal. He has also written prize-winning poetry and fiction and lives in Sussex.

Penguin presents Funny Bones: The Collection by Allan Ahlberg, read by Stephen Mangan. 
 
An audio collection of the perennially popular Funny Bones books by Allan Ahlberg

Funnybones

Book & CD

"This is how the story begins... On a dark dark hill there was a dark dark town. In the dark dark town there was a dark dark street." 
 
Discover the classic children's story that has delighted generation after generation. A must-read for Halloween, discover the hilarious Funnybones stories. Packed with playful illustrations and easy-to-read text, discover this timeless bedtime story. 
 
"Children will love poring over the contrasting illustrations while joining in with the repetition. A great book for sharing together" - Book Trust 
 
Can't get enough of the Funnybones skeletons? Discover: 
Funnybones: The Black Cat 
The Funnybones Collection 
Funnybones: Dinosaur Dream

This is the first book in the FUNNYBONES series and introduces the skeletons - a big skeleton, a little skeleton and a dog skeleton. They live in a dark dark cellar of a dark dark house on a dark dark hill and so the word repetition continues through this lighthearted story for early readers. The skeletons venture out of their cellar one night to find someone to scare, but everyone is in bed so they amuse themselves by scaring each other and playing with the skeleton animals that live in the zoo.

Baby's Big Box of Little Books

Mums and Dads, breakfasts and bedtimes, pets and toys and prams and swings - and lots and lots of other fascinating things! The Baby's Big Box of Little Books includes everything that is familiar to a young child. 
 
From Janet and Allan Ahlberg, the creators of Burglar Bill and The Jolly Postman and adapted from their classic picture book, The Baby's Catalogue, this little collection is perfect for babies at any and all times of their busy day. 
 
Janet Ahlberg's iconic illustrations present a vast array of baby paraphernalia that should be instantly recognizable and absorbing to a young child. The liberal sprinkling of wit and charm will appeal to every adult too! 
 
Books in the box: Mornings, Night-times, Toys, Baby, Games, Family, Inside, Outside and Pets.

Allan Ahlberg (Author) Allan Ahlberg, a former teacher, postman, plumber's mate and grave digger, is in the super-league of children's writers. He has published over 100 children's books and, with his late wife Janet, created such award winning picture books as EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM and THE JOLLY POSTMAN - both winners of the Kate Greenaway Medal. He has also written prize-winning poetry and fiction and lives in Sussex. Janet Ahlberg (Author) Janet Ahlberg, along with Allan Ahlberg, created some of the world's most popular picture books, including EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM and THE JOLLY CHRISTMAS POSTMAN, both winners of Greenaway Medals, and THE BABY'S CATALOGUE, inspired by their daughter Jessica. Janet died in 1994.

Mums and Dads, breakfasts and bedtimes, pets and toys and prams and swings - and lots and lots of other fascinating things! 
 
Adapted from Janet and Allan Ahlberg's classic picture book, The Baby's Catalogue, this little collection is perfect for babies at any and all times of their busy day. 
 
Janet Ahlberg's iconic illustrations present a vast array of baby paraphernalia that should be instantly recognizable and absorbing to a young child. The liberal sprinkling of wit and charm will appeal to every adult sharing the little books with a young child. 
 
Books in the box: Mornings, Night-times, Toys, Baby, Games, Family, Inside, Outside, Pets.

The Jolly Christmas Postman

Discover the magical Christmas story that has delighted children for generations! 
 
The Jolly Postman has a busy day ahead. It's Christmas Eve in Fairy-Tale Land and there's plenty of post for him to deliver! 
 
There's a card for Baby Bear, a get-well jigsaw for Humpty Dumpty and even something for Red Riding Hood. But, can he deliver it all before Christmas? 
 
Little hands will love opening the envelopes to read the post in this magical story, full of festive, fairy tale surprises! 
 
Praise for The Jolly Christmas Postman: 
 
Incorporating "The Jolly Christmas Postman" into our Christmas Book advent was a stroke of holiday magic for my family. This charming book, filled with interactive elements and familiar characters, brought joy and wonder to our festive season - 5 star reader review 
 
Gorgeous book with envelopes inside containing little extras. Daughter still loves this book. Very charming. All kids should have a copy - 5 star reader review 
 
Looking for more Ahlberg stories? 
Burglar Bill 
Starting School 
Peepo 
Funnybones

Allan Ahlberg, a former teacher, postman, plumber's mate and grave digger, is in the super-league of children's writers. He has published over 100 children's books and, with his late wife Janet, created such award winning picture books as EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM and THE JOLLY POSTMAN - both winners of the Kate Greenaway Medal. His latest book - Kicking a Ball, illustrated by Sebastien Braun was published in May. He has also written prize-winning poetry and longer fiction. He lives in Bath, and, to avoid distractions, writes from a shed in his garden!

The Baby's Catalogue

Janet and Allan Ahlberg's classic picture book, The Baby's Catalogue 
 
The bestselling picture book The Baby's Catalogue by the iconic British husband and wife picture book team Janet and Allan Ahlberg, creators of Peepo!, is filled with easily recognizable objects - perfect for your baby or toddler! 
 
Mums and Dads, breakfasts and bedtimes, pets and toys and prams and swings - and lots and lots of other fascinating things! 
 
Allan Ahlberg has published over 100 children's books and with his late wife Janet, created many award-winning children's picture books. The Baby's Catalogue was inspired by their daughter, Jessica. The Ahlbergs' books are nursery bookshelf standards and have been the recipient of worldwide acclaim and awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal. 
 
Look out for these other classics by Allan Ahlberg: 
 
Burglar Bill; Cops and Robbers; Each Peach Pear Plum; The One and Only Two Heads; Son of a Gun; The Little Worm Book; Two Wheels Two Heads; Funny Bones; A Pair of Sinners; Happy Families; Peepo!; The Ha Ha Bonk Book; Help Your Child to Read; Ten in a Bed; Please mrs Butler; Daisy Chains; Yum Yum; Playmates; Foldaways; Woof; The Cinderella Show; The Jolly Postman; The Jolly Christmas Postman; The Jolly Pocket Postman; The Clothes Horse and Other Stories; The Mighty Slide; Starting School; Heard it in the Playground; The Bear Nobody Wanted; It was a Dark and Stormy Night; The Giant Baby; Baby Sleeps; Blue Buggy; Doll and Teddy; See the Rabbit; Please Mrs Butler; The Better Brown Stories; The Boyhood of Burglar Bill

Allan Ahlberg, former teacher, postman, plumber's mate and gravedigger, is in the super-league of children's writers. He has published over a hundred children's books and is the author of the prize-winning Each Peach Pear Plum and The Jolly Postman. He has also written prize-winning fiction and poems for older readers. Allan lives in Bath.

Mums and Dads, breakfasts and bedtimes, pets and toys and prams and swings - and lots and lots of other fascinating things! 
 
This charmingly illustrated, funny book presents a vast array of baby paraphernalia that should be instantly recognizable and absorbing to a young child. 
 
'A book which every child under three should have' Parents.

Janet Ahlberg

Jam-packed with brilliant jokes to tell your mum, your dad, your baby brother, your best friend or your worst enemy, your dog, your teacher - in fact anyone else you can think of! Jokes that will have everyone chuckling, such as: 
 
Q: What goes ha ha bonk? A: A man laughing his head off! Or 
 
Q: What did the policeman say to his tummy? A: You're under a vest.' And 
 
Q: What came after the Stone Age and the Bronze Age? A: The Sausage! 
 
These and more besides make a perfect joke book for all the family to enjoy!

Janet Ahlberg

Books by Janet Ahlberg

Series by Janet Ahlberg

Funnybones11 Books

The Jolly Postman2 Books

Articles featuring Janet Ahlberg

Make your own Funnybones costume

The best classic children’s picture books

Where to start with Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s books

‘It was a duo that was made in heaven’: Why we love Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Download a Funnybones Activity Pack!

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