A colourful addition to book centre
BARBARA HODGSON MEETS THE AUTHOR WITH A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO HIS READERS
YOUNG Elmer the Elephant fans will be delighted to know that the storybook hero will be packing his trunk in readiness for a colourful visit to Newcastle next year.
Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s books in the Ouseburn, is to play host to the debut of the first ever major retrospective of artwork featuring the patchwork favourite.
Elmer and Friends: The Colourful World of David McKee will celebrate 30 years of the creator’s world-famous books which have proved an enduring favourite with young readers.
And local fans, who have to wait patiently for the exhibition, will no doubt give a warm welcome to the vibrant elephant when it arrives.
The exhibition is set to bring a blast of colour to February when it opens for what will be a year-long run, inviting Seven Stories visitors to step into McKee’s playful world.
And, for his part, the author and artist said he feels it will be a “great honour” to have his work seen in Newcastle.
His children’s book series, about the cheery elephant who loves practical jokes, remains one of the most widely read of all time; having been translated into more than 50 languages and selling more than eight million copies worldwide since the first publication by Andersen Press in 1989.
Besides the popular TV series which the books inspired, a range of toys and clothing have helped keep Elmer in the public eye.
And now he’s to be the star of the upcoming exhibition which is set to be another coup for Seven Stories, which regularly hosts high-profile displays of world-famous works.
On display this time will be illustrations and manuscripts from the series, some of which are to be shown for the first time.
And alongside that will be artwork from McKee’s other popular stories, such as Not Now, Bernard.
Seven Stories announced the exhibition on May 26 – so-called Elmer’s Day, which is named after a book in the series and involves events and activities across the country encouraging people to dress brightly enough to “turn the whole nation patchwork” in celebration of the elephant, who in one story tries to fit in by painting himself grey before his true colours are revealed, accepted and welcomed.
The centre’s chief executive Kate Edwards said: “Elmer is about celebrating your own true colours and having the confidence to be unique.
“We can’t wait to invite families to be part of our patchwork world as we wish Elmer a very happy 30th birthday.”
She said the stories are also an ideal starting point for conversations around diversity which is something championed by Seven Stories.
“David’s books are modern classics and Elmer’s subtle message, that it is ok to be different, resonates with children across the world,” she said. David added: “Elmer is really about accepting who you are, about celebrating difference. “We are all different to a greater or lesser degree. We are all different, with so many differences, difference of colour, of accents, but also of size, shape and how we dress. “The differences are what make the world so rich.” He said that while humans seem to like differences in dogs, trees and flowers, they can be less accepting of people who are different. “Elmer tried to be like the other elephants but in the end he has to be himself.” He added: “The invitation to have an exhibition at Seven Stories came as a complete surprise. I wasn’t even aware that the possibility existed. “I feel that it is a great honour and I hope the exhibition will justify the faith of Seven Stories.” To coincide with the exhibition’s lengthy debut run in Newcastle – after which it will go on to tour visitor attractions and venues across the UK – the city will also host Elmer’s Big Art Parade. This will comprise an art trail made up of individually-designed sculptures based on the Elmer character and will take place across Newcastle for 10 weeks from August 2019. Presented by St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice, in partnership with producers Wild in Art and the books’ publisher Andersen Press, its aim is to raise awareness and funds for the hospice.