The author of the classic children’s picture book Funnybones (Puffin, 1980) as well as 150 "timeless" children’s books, Allan Ahlberg, has died at the age of 87.

Ahlberg was born in Croydon and brought up by his adoptive parents in the Black Country town of Oldbury. He worked as a postman, plumber’s mate and gravedigger before training to become a teacher at Sunderland Teacher Training College, where he met his wife, Janet.

After college, Janet worked as an illustrator and, tired of the books she was sent by publishers, asked her husband to write her something instead. In 1975 the Ahlbergs published their first book together, Here Are the Brick Street Boys, swiftly followed by The Old Joke Book, Burglar Bill and Each Peach Pear Plum, for which Janet was awarded the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in 1978.

Throughout their careers, the Ahlbergs produced dozens of books that have been loved by generations of readers and still feel as "fresh, funny and clever as when they were first published", their publishers Puffin said in a statement. Among their catalogue of books are Each Peach Pear Plum (1978), Peepo! (1981) and The Baby’s Catalogue (1982), Funnybones (1980) and Starting School (1988).

Ahlberg also worked with a number of acclaimed illustrators including Emma Chichester Clark, Raymond Briggs, Andre Amstutz, Bruce Ingman, Colin McNaughton, Fritz Wegner, Charlotte Voake and Faith Jaques. Allan also collaborated with his daughter, Jessica Ahlberg, with whom he created the pop-up variations on Goldilocks (2012).

Allan’s writing for older readers included the poetry collections Please Mrs Butler (1983) and Heard It in the Playground (1989) and novels such as My Brother’s Ghost (2000). He also wrote for adults: a tribute to Janet published following her death from breast cancer in 1994, Janet’s Last Book (1997) and two autobiographies: The Boyhood of Burglar Bill (2007) and The Bucket (2013).

Allan is survived by his wife Vanessa, daughter Jessica and stepdaughters Saskia and Johanna.

Francesca Dow, MD of PRH Children’s, said: “Allan was one of the most extraordinary authors I have had the privilege and pleasure to work with. His brilliant books – so many of them created with his late wife, Janet, the highly talented illustrator –  have been described as ’mini masterpieces’.  And they are, wonderful satisfying stories, the perfect marriage of text and illustration, full of surprise and humour, with something new to spot with every reading, and always with the child reader at their heart. Allan’s ideas (and success) came from observing children and bringing some magic to the everyday – the excitement of the postman’s delivery, the joy of peeping through holes at family life, or what if a friendly burglar steals a noisy baby (and then mends his ways!)? Allan was an imaginative playful writer, so good at rhyme, and he considered and cared about every detail of the book, from the layout of the words on the page, to the typeface and the paper stock, valuing the experts in our publishing team with their specialist production and design skills. We had many discussions over detail, always with Allan wanting to get the book just so. He knew that making it perfect for children matters, and above all that the very best stories for children last forever. Allan’s are some of the very best – true classics, which will be loved by children and families for years to come. Dear Allan, we will all miss you enormously.”

Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, CEO of Walker Books Group, said: “Allan once told us that when his daughter asked him for a story, she would request ‘one straight out of your mouth’. Over the years, many at Walker were truly privileged to hear stories straight from Allan’s mouth. He was enormously playful in spirit and language and had the ability to make you smile in one sentence. 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. We were honoured to publish his last picture book, Under the Table, and only last week he was reviewing the cover for a new edition of The Man Who Wore All His Clothes. He leaves a wonderful legacy at Walker and we will enjoy sharing the memories and ensuring his work continues to reach new generations of readers the world over.”