It was a Dark and Stormy Night

It was a Dark and Stormy Night

Janet and Allan Ahlberg 1994

Taking it's cue from Edward Bulwer-Lytton, this book is all about story telling, the sillier, the better.  When a young boy is kidnapped by a band of brigands, he's instructed by the Chief Brigand to entertain them with a story.  But no one can agree on how it should go, or how scary it should be, and whether there should be bears or not.  A bit long for a picture book, but lots of fun to read!

The Jolly Christmas Postman

The Jolly Christmas Postman

Janet and Allan Ahlberg 2001

We've enjoyed the original Jolly Postman book (combining two of my favorite things- mail and books!) so we were thrilled to get our hands on a Christmas version.

It's snowy and cold, but the Jolly postman is on his rounds, this time with Christmas cards and presents for all the nursery rhyme folk.  There's a puzzle for Humpty Dumpty and a game for Red Riding Hood and a cheeky bit of mail for the Wolf.  The final envelope comes from none other than Mr. and Mrs. Santa themselves and it's a particularly special treat for the postman (and us!).

The Baby in the Hat

"Delightful" is the only way to describe this book.  In just a few simple lines and some wonderful pictures, a boy tells the story of his best friend, who by good luck is in the right place at the right time to catch a falling baby.   This sets into motion an adventure that takes him to sea and makes him captain of a ship.  He eventually returns home as a young man.  The ending might not be a surprise, but it's sweet nonetheless!

The Baby in the Hat

Allan Ahlberg

illustrated by Andre Amstutz 2008

(You might recognize Allan Ahlberg from the books that he collaborated writing with his wife.)

Peepo

Peepo! (Picture Puffin)

Janet and Allan Ahlberg 1999

A little baby in England during WWII (you can tell from clues in the illustrations, like the double decker bus and the father's uniform) sees the word around him.  His sisters playing, his grandmother doing washing, his mom making tea.  The pictures are full of things to look at (which I love!) and a hole on each page leads to the next (peek-a-boo!).  It's weird for me to say "peepo" and not "peekaboo" but I guess that's the English version.  It's one of my favorites to read to Charlotte at naptime.