"Zzz!" The three skeletons enjoy a holiday on-board their little boat. But one night - "Yo-ho-ho" - the pirates come and put them out to sea on a tiny raft, launching them on an oceanful of new adventures.
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.
On a dark dark night, on a dark dark sea, in a dark dark boat three skeletons float . . . on a holiday.
One of today's charity shop finds and one that expands our Funnybones collection of children's books which Tania and I both enjoyed so much during our childhood.
This time around the intrepid skeletons are having a relaxing sailing holiday, which soon turns sour when they are boarded by pirates.