The author and illustrator David McKee, who has died aged 87, created some of the most loved and admired children’s picture books of the past 40 years, including Mr Benn, King Rollo and Not Now, Bernard. He was best known for his stories about Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, who loves to play practical jokes and longs to fit in.
Inspired by the mascot of the Bordeaux zoo, McKee’s first story about Elmer was published in 1968. It was not immediately obvious that it would become such a huge success, but McKee added a second title, Elmer Again and Again (1975), and then gradually more over the years – there are now dozens of Elmer books, which have been translated into more than 60 languages, and lines of branded clothing and toys.
