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Allan Ahlberg, bestselling author of children's classics, dies aged 87
The Guardian
|August 01, 2025
The author Allan Ahlberg, who delighted generations of children with colourful characters and nimble rhymes, has died aged 87.
Working with his wife, Janet, an award-winning illustrator, Ahlberg produced a host of bestselling nursery classics, including Burglar Bill, Peepo!, and Each Peach Pear Plum.
After Janet's death in 1994, he worked with illustrators such as Raymond Briggs and Bruce Ingman, with his career coming full circle in a series of collaborations with his daughter, Jessica.
"He was enormously playful in spirit and language and had the ability to make you smile in one sentence," said Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, the CEO of Walker Books Group, which published some of his books.
"Allan inspired generations of children's writers, inspired all of us who worked with him, and inspired artists to make some of their very best work."
This story is from the August 01, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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