David McKee, the children’s author and illustrator and creator of Elmer, Mr Benn and Not Now, Bernard, has passed away following a short illness at the age of 87.
David was born in Devon and studied at Plymouth Art College. His work allowed him to travel the world, spending extensive periods in Barcelona, Nice, Paris and Italy. Most recently he was happy spending time between his home in London and in Provence with his partner of many years, Bakhta.
In the early part of his career he regularly drew and sold humorous drawings to magazines and newspapers such as The Times Educational Supplement, Punch and the Reader’s Digest.
His first book, Two Can Toucan, was published in 1964, while his most famous story, Elmer was first published in 1968 by Dobson Publishing. It was re-illustrated and re-released by Andersen press in 1989.
Elmer remains one of the most iconic and widely read children’s book series of all time, selling over ten million copies. David wrote and illustrated 29 original Elmer books, and collectively they have been translated into more than 60 languages with new novelty books, toys and clothing available around the world based on the character.
David also had a successful career as a fine artist, and through King Rollo Productions co-created some of the most famous animated programmes in history including Mr Benn – based on David’s series of books – about the eponymous explorer who through a magic costume shop went on a series of fantastical adventures. The series celebrated its 50th anniversary since it premiered on BBC, in 2021.
Speaking to BookTrust in 2020, David said: “Children’s books can contribute to changing attitudes and are instrumental in helping children shape their view of the world. Picture books are a child’s first glimpse into the art world and in some way, especially with some of my books, the illustrations are actually more important than the story.”
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