Burglar Bill is a 1977 children's book by husband and wife team Janet and Allan Ahlberg.
As his name implies, Burglar Bill is a burglar. Everything in his house, from the toast he eats for breakfast to the bed he sleeps in, is stolen. Then one night, he accidentally steals a baby - and his life changes forever.
Tropes Include:
- Accidental Kidnapping: Bill steals a box with holes in it, and only discovers that there's a baby inside when he gets home.
- Affably Evil: Bill and Betty are both nice people, despite being criminals.
- Alliterative Name: Burglar Bill and Burglar Betty. Burglar Bill later becomes Baker Bill.
- Blatant Burglar: Both Bill and Betty wear Domino Masks, black and white striped shirts and in Bill's case, a flatcap. They even wear these when they return their stolen goods. In fact, there's a theory
that Bill may have been the Trope Codifier for this version of the burglar outfit. - Character Catchphrase: "That's a nice (insert object of choice): I'll have that."
- The Diaper Change: Bill is forced to change the baby's nappy. Apart from being forced to use an old towel (since he doesn't have any more nappies), he doesn't do too bad a job.
- Empathy Pet: Bill's cat appears in many of the pictures, usually reflecting Bill's emotions.
- Fooled by the Sound: After Burglar Bill has stolen a big brown box with little holes in it, he suddenly hears a noise that sounds like police cars. When he realises it is coming from the box, he opens it, to discover a crying baby.
- Heel–Face Turn: After realising what bad people they are, Bill and Betty return everything they've ever stolen over the years, and become honest citizens.
- Heel Realization: Both Bill and Betty undergo one.
- Jar Potty: Bill has a stolen chamber pot under his bed, labelled "HMS Eagle". He is later seen returning it through the porthole.
- Mugshot Montage: Bill's mugshot showing his front and side view is displayed on his bedroom wall.
- Oh, Crap!: Bill gets one when he realises that he's being burgled.
- Sticky Fingers: Played for laughs (to adults) in that many of the things Bill steals are not particularly valuable, such as toothbrushes, tins of beans, a policeman's helmet.
- Symbol Motif Clothing: The distinctive stripes of Bill's burglar outfit appear on his hatband at his wedding; it is no coincidence that his cat is black and white striped.
- A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Bill learns how it feels to have someone break into your house and steal from you. Likewise, Betty learns how it feels to have someone take something precious from you.
- Villain Protagonist: Bill is a pretty nice guy, but he's still a burglar who goes around stealing from others.
- "Wanted!" Poster: When Burglar Bill returns the policeman's helmet through the police station window, his own "Wanted" poster is on the wall.
