Janet Ahlberg, winner of two Greenaway Medals, received runner-up for Burglar Bill (1977).

[4] Some readers loved the book's charm and unique story, while others did not see it as being morally acceptable for a young child to read, as the subject of burglary is taken fairly light-heartedly without serious consequences.

[5] A university project that instructed the recreation of a children's book as a short animated film used Burglar Bill as its subject.

[7] Burglar Bill was a mock recitation piece written by F. Anstey for the satirical magazine Punch, or the London Charivari.

[8] The piece tells the story of a burglar interrupted in his work by a lisping little girl who asks him to force open the stuck door of her doll's house.