Ms Cliff the Climber

Happy Families

by Allan Ahlberg, Fritz Wegner

This is the story of ups and downs, and tangles, in the life of the keen mountain climber, Clara Cliff. She marries, has children, divorces, remarries, has more children and all in all has more than the usual quota of family fun and adventure.

Genres: Childrens

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Allan Ahlberg was one of the UK's most acclaimed and successful authors of children's books - including the best-selling Jolly Postman series. Born in Croydon in 1938, he was educated at Sunderland Technical College. Although he dreamed of becoming a writer since the age of twelve, his route to that goal was somewhat circuitous. Other jobs along the way included postman (not an especially jolly one, he recalls), gravedigger, plumber, and teacher.

Ahlberg wrote his first book when he was thirty-seven, after a decade of teaching - a profession that he maintains is "much harder" than being a writer. He says that if he hadn't become a writer, he would have loved to be a soccer player. He was married for many years to fellow children's author Janet Ahlberg, with whom he often worked. Their daughter, Jessica Ahlberg, is also a children's author.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtfully written story about different points in a person's life. Illustrations are great and it's fun to look out for a few buildings one may recognise in the London skyline.