It Was a Dark & Stormy Night

"It was a dark and stormy night, the rain came down in torrents, there were brigands on the mountains, and wolves, and the chief of the brigands said to Antonio, 'I'm bored - tell us a story!'"
No one tells a better story than Antonio. His tale is full of action and absurdity, pirates, parrots and chocolate carnival cake, rubies, emeralds, diamonds of enormous size... and a Thingy. Antonio just makes it up as he goes along. And he begins: 'It was a dark and stormy night...'
'Janet and Allan Ahlberg are to children's books what Ginger and Fred were to dancing.'
Guardian