Allan Ahlberg - Gray City » All Books Online Free

The Bucket

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 10:51:10 +0200

The Bucket by Allan Ahlberg - the enthralling childhood story one of Britain's best-loved children's authors

'My mother, who was not my mother, I see her now, her raw red cleaner's hands twisting away at her apron as she struggled to speak. Adoption was a shameful business then in many people's eyes, the babies being mostly illegitimate. Better not speak of it.'

Allan Ahlberg was adopted as a baby. In 1938 he was picked up in London by his new mother and taken back to Oldbury in the Black Country. Now one of the most successful children's book writers in the world, in The Bucket he describes an oddly enchanted childhood lived out in an industrial town during the 1940s, in conditions which today we might describe as 'deprived'. He writes of a father in overalls smelling of wood shavings and oil, of a tough and fiercely protective mother who cries when he discovers that he is adopted, of life assurance policies ('£6 if the child dies under age 3')...

Heard it in the Playground

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:26:42 +0200

This illustrated collection of amusing poems and songs celebrating primary school life won the Signal Poetry Award in 1990.Meet Billy McBone and the Mad Professor�s Daughter, be amazed by the Longest Kiss Contest, shed a tear for the Boy Without a Name and � if you�re a stressed teacher � sing the Mrs Butler Blues.

The Boy, the Wolf, the Sheep and the Lettuce

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:26:42 +0200

You may think you know the riddle of the boy, the wolf, the sheep and the lettuce, but this book will prove you wrong. Read Allan Ahlberg's SHOCKING EXPOSE of the truth behind a story we think we all know, including: Wolf horror! Canoe shock! Fibbing! Exclusive Lettuce revelations! Moments of brilliant and unforgettable beauty! You'll never think of boys, wolves, sheep, lettuces OR riddles in the same way again.

The Improbable Cat

Sun, 09 Nov 2003 20:26:43 +0200

The story begins when a seemingly harmless kitten limps into the Burrell family's garden. The kitten gets bigger and bigger and soon the family, apart from the narrator David, are in thrall to the creature. They slowly descend into squalor and slothas they are sucked into the service of the enormous black cat that has taken over their lives. Eventually David breaks the spell and sends in a pack of dogs to see off the cat, who makes a dramatic exit through the lounge window and is flattened by a passing truck.

The Boyhood of Burglar Bill

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:26:43 +0200

Coronation Year, 1953, and in Oldbury a Coronation football competition is organized. The boys from the bottom pitch get a team up, but there's no chance they'll win, of course. They're just the odds and sods -- one of them is even a girl -- but they're all football crazy and ready and eager to beat off the opposition.A funny and moving story of football and friendship in a world when the streets were full of kids and empty of cars. Not only for boys -- and girls -- of 9+, there's a real pull of nostalgia for adults as well. And, of course, for all lovers of football, whether on the pitch or in the park.

Burglar Bill (Picture Puffin)

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 09:28:17 +0200

The Mighty Slide

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:26:43 +0200

�This is the storyOf Alison Hubble,Who went to bed single,And woke up double.�Here, in verse, are the hilariously original stories of a mighty slide, a man who fought crocodiles, a girl who doubled, a couple of baby skinners and a thing that lived under a school. A wonderful collection from Allan Ahlberg, author of �Please Mrs Butler, Woof!� and �Happy Families�, illustrated throughout with delightful drawings by Charlotte Voake.

COLLECTED POEMS

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:26:42 +0200

My Brother's Ghost

Thu, 09 Nov 2000 20:26:43 +0200

As Frances Fogarty looks back at her childhood, she reveals the strange circumstances surrounding her older brother Tom's death. Did he really come back to look out for her and her younger brother -- or is her memory playing tricks? This touching tale of loss, love, and endurance is not about endings, but about a new beginning in another place. Allan Ahlberg has once again taken an original perspective on a well-loved genre, unsettling common assumptions of what a ghost story should be.

Each Peach Pear Plum (Pocket Puffin)

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:07:20 +0200

Friendly Matches

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:26:43 +0200

A superb collection of football poems covering many aspects of the game. Written in a variety of verse forms - sonnets, rhyming couplets and more. As good as previous collections!

Please Mrs Butler

Sun, 09 Nov 2003 20:26:43 +0200

The bestselling and much-loved children's poetry classic, Please Mrs Butler by Allan Ahlberg is celebrating its 30th anniversary! With a fresh new look for a brand new generation of school children to take to its heart, every teacher, parent and child should have a copy.Nobody leave the room.Everyone listen to me.We had ten pairs of scissorsAt half-past two, And now there's only three.This witty collection of school poems by Allan Ahlberg, re-jacketed for its 30th anniversary and for a whole new generation of school children to fall in love with, is full of typical classroom events that will be recognized and enjoyed by everyone. From never-ending projects, reading tests, quarrelling, making-up, excuses and 'Please, Sir, it isn't fair.' Fritz Wegner's line drawings beautifully complement the hilarious and poignant verses.Please Mrs Butler was...