Jeremiah in the Dark Woods

by Janet Ahlberg, Allan Ahlberg

A little boy sets out to find the thief of his grandmother's strawberry tarts and meets a number of unusual characters on his search.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Janet Ahlberg (1944-1994) was a British children's book illustrator, and the co-creator, together with her husband Allan Ahlberg, of the best-selling Jolly Postman series. Born as Janet Hall in Yorkshire in 1944, she studied at Sunderland Technical College, where she met Ahlberg. The two married in 1969, and began to work together, publishing their first co-venture - The Old Joke Book - in 1976. She won the 1978 Kate Greenaway Medal from the British Library Association - an award recognizing the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject - for Each Peach Pear Plum.

Janet Ahlberg died of breast cancer in 1994, at the age of fifty, having produced many beloved and bestselling books. Her daughter with Allan Ahlberg - Jessica Ahlberg - is also a children's book creator.

Reviews

[* أمامة *]

عجيبةٌ هي اللغات ..
قد تجعل كبير العمر صغيرا بين جنباتها ،
وقد تجعل بخيل الفرح زاهيا بين وريقاتها .
هاهي اللغة الإنكليزية جعلتني أنحني لها، وأقرأ صغار حروفها
يا ليتها تسارع في تربيتي؛ فتطعمني وتسقيني وتزيد كرمها كرما عليَّ؛ فأكبرُ

ولتعلمْ بأن الصغر في حضرتها جميل ،، لكني زهدته ..
وها أنا أتعلمها لأجتازها ..

يارب صارت هما يؤرقني في المدرسة
مُنايَ أن أكبر سريعا على يديها

[Savannah-Alicia Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a clever book! Really enjoyed it and a great use of intertext.

[Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character's name in this book is: 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘢𝘩-𝘖𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘩-𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘺-𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, which in itself I think is pretty neat.

When I was a kid, we would listen to this story on tape in the car.
We would drive to the supermarket and get some jam tarts to eat whilst listening - because Jeramiah's grandmother bakes jam tarts as part of the story!

[Ange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite a long story which borrows from a multitude of fairy tales (The Three Bears, Goldilocks etc.) and classic children's books (Alice in Wonderland). As such it feels a bit forced and the pacing doesn't work. The illustrations are nice though.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful mashup of juvenile literature's favorite characters. Ends with a bump, but makes for a wonderful read-aloud.

[Clare Bray · Rating 5 out of 5]

...... When the Puffin Bookclub leaflet came out at school, and I had birthday money to spend......

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those Ahlbergs. The best. So charming, light, fun and clever. Perfect for reading aloud and also for newly independent readers. Brimming with warmth.

[mairead! · Rating 5 out of 5]

A1 called the culprit! Also enjoyed F chanting Jeremiah’s full name over and over. The good old days!

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations but Funnybones, Each Peach Pear Plum and The Jolly Postman we’re far better offerings from the famous husband and wife team.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades 2-4. Jeremiah goes looking for the no-good robber who has taken his auntie's tarts.

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[Pelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got the original 1978 publication of this book from one of my students and it made me entirely happy. I'm in love with the humor.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

One if my absolutely favorite books from my childhood. Now read it to my own children who love it as much as I do.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book! We loved how the characters we know from so many traditional stories popped up! Wonderful illustrations as well- the Ahlbergs make a great team as usual!

[Andréa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is too strange for my taste. I'm beginning to realize I tend to enjoy Janet Ahlberg's illustrations more than Allan Ahlberg's stories.

[CalebJacobOwenZac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caleb at age 5 was really into the story but it took us a couple of sittings to get through it because of his short attention span. A good book to return to when he is older.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mashup of different "fairy tales" to form this odd but interesting story - it actually works well and it is quite entertaining.