Burglar Bill

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Oh, by the way, here come some spoilers - stop reading now if you want to read this book and be surprised by the plot twists! These are the sorts of books I would actively keep out of my (at the time of writing this, hypothetical) children's library because it is subtly teaching them a lesson that appears benign but isn't actually good for people that I know I grew up with and have been trying to unlearn since I was a child. I remembered loving this book as a child so wanted to see if it lived up to my memory of it, and it did. Anyway, gosh, Burglar Bill is totally defined by his whole burglar-ness, as well as his Englishness, as every night he has 'stolen fish and chips and a cup of stolen tea for supper'. If I had to recommend ‘Burglar Bill’ I would suggest its use in the EYFS, purely as a book to read to the class and facilitate a discussion about stranger danger.

We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Burglar Bill has to find ways of entertaining and looking after the baby - feeding him beans, playing the piano to him, trying to change his nappy, teaching him to talk. I find amusement in the fact that my issue isn't with the Willingly Be A Criminal Without Consequence, though that is a problem, but with the fact that it's teaching very typical media versions of relationships, which always bothers me. The very stereotypical type - with a black-and-white striped top, a bag of loot over his back, and a mask over his eyes.I remember reading this book as a child and I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy reading it again as an adult.

Some readers loved the book's charm and unique story, while others did not see it as being morally acceptable for a young child to read, as the subject of burglary is taken fairly light-heartedly without serious consequences. I don't remember Burglar Bill being a Londoner when I read it as a kid, but I found myself doing a dodgy Ray Winstone impersonation here. Innovative, funny and moving, his work encompasses storybooks, picture books, easy readers, joke books and novels as well as poems. One day Bill steals a baby and they have a fantastic time together until one day things change for Bill, he has an intruder in house who is about to steal from him. Bill, a man who only has stolen things from his bed to his marmalade, is shocked to find he has stolen a baby!This book really has quite an intricate plot for a picture book - I'm pretty sure I would have loved it if it had been around when I was a kid. Janet Ahlberg (21 October 1944 – 13 November 1994), née Janet Hall, and Allan Ahlberg (born 5 June 1938) were a British married couple who created many children's books, including picture books that regularly appear at the top of "most popular" lists for public libraries. The striking simplicity of Bill's burgling outfit – a black mask and cap and a striped shirt – has made Burglar Bill a popular party or Halloween costume choice. The real adventure begins when he burgles a big brown box that was left on a doorstep, takes it home, and realises there's a baby inside it.