Funnybones by Janet & Allan Ahlberg
“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. On the dark, dark street, there was a dark, dark house. In the dark, dark house, there was a dark, dark staircase. Down the dark, dark staircase, there was a dark, dark cellar. And in the dark, dark cellar, some skeletons lived.”
Ah, just typing those familiar phrases makes me nostalgic about being little. Bedtime stories were never the same again once I’d discovered this tale about two playful skeletons and their skeletal dog. Ever-enamoured with quirky headwear even from infancy, I was especially taken by The Big Skeleton’s rather natty bright red top hat.
Funnybones was first published by Puffin way back when in 1980, but it’s since become a much-loved children’s classic, along with many of the other books by husband-and-wife team Janet and Allan Ahlberg, such as Burglar Bill and The Jolly Postman.
The numerous other Funnybones books that followed the first one were also popular, and became the basis for the 90s BBC cartoon series. And in 2007, 700,000 copies of it were given to school-age children as part of the Booktime programme, for which Allan Ahlberg waived his fee. You can read more about that, as well as listen to him reading from the first Funnybones book in this 2007 interview with The Times. Or, you can buy the books for less than £5, from Amazon.
Are their any books from when you were younger that you remember fondly? Were you into The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the Malory Towers series or the Choose Your Own Adventure books? Tell us your childhood favourites in the comments, or email us with your suggestions!
Post by Jane Bradley
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My goodness, I loved Funnybones! Even if my mum did use the whole ‘in a dark, dark x there was a dark, dark y’ thing to torment me. My favourite kids books were Dogger (be careful googling that), by Shirley Hughes, and Meteorite Spoon, by Philip Ridley, which remains my all time favourite to this day.
I absolutely loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books, but feel I must come clean; I cheated. Shocking, I know. But if it was real life, who wouldn’t go back a step if they’d turned to page 54 only to be eaten by a bear?!
Thanks Ria! Meteorite Spoon sounds intriguing, I’ve never heard of that one so thanks for the tip! I’ll admit cheating on CYOA too, but I still always seemed to meet a sticky end even when I skipped ahead. I remember being very upset once when I found the hidden treasure but then got trapped in a pyramid. Sad times.
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. One of the best kids books EVER. I’ve still got a copy somewhere. Might hunt it out and have a read tonight before bedtime.
Yes, I remember that one being brilliant! Guest post if you still have it?
I don’t! (Might have to do some Amazon-ing). But I do have a copy of the Very Hungry Caterpillar by my bedside. Doesn’t everyone? No?
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