Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet Ahlberg, Allan Ahlberg (Paperback, 2008) Pocket-Sized

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The overleaf shows an abundant pear tree, a plum tree, and a peach tree, and tiny Tom Thumb snugly resting on a branch, reading a book. 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. Then I would read, but stop before saying the last words on each page, allowing my child to jump in with the next name.

The ditch in which Jack and Jill lie – and into which the Wicked Witch is peering, is surely modelled on the Berlin Wall, while in the very next picture, Robin Hood is shown firing long-range missiles at the Witch. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that! Lovely for reading to very young children and getting them to spot the character, and I'm sure that in years to come it'll also be a good aid to learning to read.Janet Ahlberg (Author, Illustrator) 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. Look out for these other classics by Allan Ahlberg:Burglar Bill; Cops and Robbers; The Baby's Catalogue; 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!

Only when I belatedly noticed the bow of an apron on a rather large derrière in the corner did I realise that she was leaning out of the picture! It really engages the children in the book, which I've seen when reading the book to children in a reception class. Allan’s repetitive text wastes no words; this is espionage literature with the gripping narrative of Forsyth and Ludlum, written with sinister style of Le Carré and Greene. Other hidden characters are Tom Thumb among the trees, 'Each Peach Pear Plum/I spy Tom Thumb' so you can perhaps guess where he was hiding; Cinderella in the cellar.

On each page there is a small rhyme about spying a character, who you then need to find in the illustration on the opposite page. Allan and Ahlberg’s text is repetitious, rhyming, and predictable, making it a perfect choice for the emergent reader. the bearlet shot him out of a tree and he landed in a river, but they fished him out and all's well that ends well? This lovely children's book is a fun, rhyming hide and seek game featuring favorite characters from storybooks.

The two married in 1969, and began to work together, publishing their first co-venture - The Old Joke Book - in 1976. I loved "I Spy" type things back then and now I can appreciate the smooth flow of the rhyme scheme and the clever illustrations and I just really enjoyed the variety of Mother Goose characters and how their little stories are related. Each Peach Pear Plum' - the classic picture book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg - is a timeless picture book classic from the bestselling illustrator/author team Janet and Allan Ahlberg, creators of Peepo! First, I read this to my child, pausing before pointing out the next character, who would be hiding in the picture somewhere. Janet sadly died in 1994, but Allan has gone on to work with other illustrators and is still producing lots of new books.One of the first books I've bought for my son - the illustrations are very detailed and charming, while I like the board book version, as there's less chance of it being ripped by an over-enthusiastic baby!

The text per page is also brief, which is great for short attention spans, though it is a slightly longer book than some; when my daughter was very little we would need to read it in stages. Absolutely adore this classic from my childhood, I purchased this for my little boy, fantastic pocket size for when you're travelling with your little one and seeking a form of entertainment, very practical! As with all their collaborative work, this is a book that invites repeated readings whether it’s to enjoy the rhythm of the rhyme again or to find hidden details in Janet’s pictures.

This is a book to read to them when they're small and for them to read to you when they are a bit older. Innovative, funny and moving, his work encompasses storybooks, picture books, easy readers, joke books and novels as well as poems. Most highly recommended (and honestly, if someone is indeed and sadly offended by the fact that the Three Bears are carrying guns and going hunting, please do note that no animals are either shot at or killed and that the image of Baby Bear tripping and causing a stray bullet to dislodge Baby Bunting and his crib can always and easily be used for a bit of a discussion regarding potentially unsafe and dangerous types of behavior, can always be used as a teaching and learning moment). Classic characters like Burglar Bill and The Jolly Postman have become firm favourites with a generation of children who are now reading them to their own offspring. Beautiful vignettes roll exquisitely across village, vale and wood through the Ahlberg’s perfect balance between image and verse.