 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2016) |
 Book cover for Elmer the Patchwork Elephant | |
| Author | David McKee |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | David McKee |
| Language | English |
| No. of books | 44 (List of books) |
Elmer the Patchwork Elephant (often shortened to Elmer) is a children's picture book series by the British author David McKee.
Elmer was first published by Dobson Books in 1968, and re-issued with re-drawn illustrations in a slightly shortened version by Andersen Press in 1989. [1] It was inspired by the mascot of the Bordeaux zoo (which closed in 1974) in France. The books are published in the United Kingdom by Andersen Press and were published in the United States by HarperCollins originally, Andersen Press USA now publishes in America. Forty-one book titles have been created since 1989, and the series has sold more than eight million copies in fifty languages around the world. Satoshi Kitamura carried out the Japanese translation. Kim yang-mi carried out the Korean translation.
Elmer is an elephant with yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, green, black and white squares arranged as a patchwork. He has a cheerful and optimistic personality, and he loves practical jokes.
The stories are suitable for early exploration of cultural diversity. One day, Elmer decides that he wants to look like all the other elephants, and paints himself grey in order to 'blend in'. Once painted, the other elephants and jungle creatures no longer recognise him. He returns to the herd and the other elephants stand quietly until Elmer can't take the quiet any more. He lifts his trunk and then, at the top of his voice, shouts "Boo!", which unknowingly surprises the other elephants. The other elephants immediately realise that the grey elephant must be Elmer and applaud him for his best joke ever. When it begins to rain, the grey paint that Elmer has covered himself with starts to disappear, and Elmer's "true colours" are revealed, much to the delight of his friends, who preferred his multicoloured and fun loving personality. Following their happy reunion, the elephants reassure Elmer that they love him because of his differences, and not in spite of them, and they celebrate by painting themselves in multicoloured paint (and Elmer paints himself grey), in recognition of Elmer's unique appearance and personality.
Elmer the Patchwork Elephant also features in a wide range of merchandising. His first story is also featured and animated in Anytime Tales, a storytelling animated programme narrating five of David McKee and Tony Ross' stories. The story of Elmer was originally narrated by British voice actor Johnny Morris, who died on 6 May 1999, aged 82. Sophie Aldred also read his first story which was also animated by Mike Hibbert in an episode of Words and Pictures from 1993, featuring the letter E.
A musical stage version created by Jonathan Rockefeller was adapted by Suzanne Maynard Miller, with songs by Allison Leyton-Brown. After an initial engagement in Toronto (December 2017), Elmer the Patchwork Elephant show embarked upon a tour of the UK in January 2019.
|
|
The stories are suitable for early exploration of the themes and issues relating to the concept of Diversity. 28 May 2016 was declared Elmer's Day by publisher Andersen Press. [2] Libraries and bookshops across Britain held Elmer themed events. [3]
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales.
The Patchwork Girl of Oz is the seventh novel in L. Frank Baum's Oz series. Characters include the Woozy, Ojo "the Unlucky", Unc Nunkie, Dr. Pipt, Scraps, and others. The book was first published on July 1, 1913, with illustrations by John R. Neill. In 1914, Baum adapted the book to film through his Oz Film Manufacturing Company.
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images.
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a literary folktale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, about a vain emperor who gets exposed before his subjects. The tale has been translated into over 100 languages.
Elmer Lee Andersen was an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who built a successful business career with the H. B. Fuller Company. Andersen was most notably the 30th governor of Minnesota. A self-described progressive Republican, he was a well-regarded politician who passed many social and environmental regulations during his time as governor.
Just So Stories for Little Children is a 1902 collection of origin stories by the British author Rudyard Kipling. Considered a classic of children's literature, the book is among Kipling's best known works.
David John McKee was a British writer and illustrator, chiefly of children's books and animations.
Rabbit Fire is a 1951 Looney Tunes cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd. Directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese, the cartoon is the first in Jones' "hunting trilogy"—the other two cartoons following it being Rabbit Seasoning and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! It is also the first cartoon to feature a feud between Bugs and Daffy. Produced by Edward Selzer for Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc., the short was released to theaters on May 19, 1951 by Warner Bros. Pictures and is often considered among Jones' best and most important films.
Elmer is a name of Germanic British origin. The given name originated as a surname, a medieval variant of the given name Aylmer, derived from Old English æþel (noble) and mær (famous). It was adopted as a given name in the United States, "in honor of the popularity of the brothers Ebenezer and Jonathan Elmer, leading supporters of the American Revolution." The name has declined in popularity since the first decades of the 20th century and fell out of the top 1,000 names used for American boys in 2009. However, it continues in use for newborn boys in the United States, where 167 boys born there in 2022 received the name. The name is common in the United States and Canada. Elmar, a variant, was among the 10 most popular names for newborn boys in Iceland in 2021.
Lucy Maria Boston was an English novelist who wrote for children and adults, publishing her work entirely after the age of 60. She is best known for her "Green Knowe" series: six low fantasy children's novels published by Faber between 1954 and 1976. The setting is Green Knowe, an old country manor house based on Boston's Cambridgeshire home at Hemingford Grey. For the fourth book in the series, A Stranger at Green Knowe (1961), she won the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject.
"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a tin soldier's love for a paper ballerina. The tale was first published in Copenhagen by C.A. Reitzel on 2 October 1838 in the first booklet of Fairy Tales Told for Children. New Collection. The booklet consists of Andersen's "The Daisy" and "The Wild Swans". The tale was Andersen's first not based upon a folk tale or a literary model. "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" has been adapted to various media including ballet and animated film.
Timbuctoo is a series of 25 children's books, written and illustrated by Roger Hargreaves, better known for his Mr. Men and Little Miss series. It was published from 1978 to 1979, with selected reprints in 1993 and 1999. The books tell the stories of a group of animals, each of whom is named after the sound that their particular animal makes. An animated series of Timbuctoo was shown on CITV which ran from 9 January 1998 to 5 January 2000, narrated by Ronnie Corbett.
What's Up, Doc? is a Looney Tunes cartoon film directed by Robert McKimson and produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. It was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on June 17, 1950.
Thumbelina is a literary novel bedtime story fairy tale written by the famous Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published by C. A. Reitzel on 16 December 1835 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with "The Naughty Boy" and "The Travelling Companion" in the second installment of Fairy Tales Told for Children. Thumbelina is about a tiny girl and her adventures with marriage-minded toads, moles, and cockchafers. She successfully avoids their intentions before falling in love with a flower-fairy prince just her size.
Satoshi Kitamura is a Japanese children's picture book author and illustrator. In 1983, he received the Mother Goose Award for the Most Exciting Newcomer to British Illustration for Angry Arthur. In 2000, his book, Sheep in Wolves' Clothing was made into the obscure HIT Entertainment series, Sheeep. He moved from Japan to London before returning to Tokyo in 2009.
Elmer Elephant is a Silly Symphony cartoon short produced by The Walt Disney Company, directed by Wilfred Jackson and released on March 28, 1936.
Andersen Press is a British book publishing company. It was founded in 1976 by Klaus Flugge, and was named after Hans Christian Andersen "because it is easier to pronounce and spell than Flugge". Random House has a holding in the company and a strong association with Andersen.
Joker is an American graphic novel published by DC Comics in 2008. Written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo, it is based on characters from DC's Batman series, focusing primarily on the title character. It is a unique take on the Batman mythos, set outside regular continuity and narrated by one of the Joker's henchmen. The miniseries Batman: Damned is a stand-alone sequel to the graphic novel, with the miniseries incorporating certain details, settings, and designs that hint at the two stories sharing a connected narrative.
Immediate Media Company Limited is a British multinational publishing house that publishes a significant range of titles, including Radio Times, BBC Top Gear, BBC Good Food and a host of others. In H1 2018, the company's titles reported a combined ABC circulation of 1.59 million, including 1.1M active subscribers. In 2018 it reported selling 70+ million magazines.
Ellen Banda-Aaku is a Zambian author, radio drama and film producer who was born in the UK and grew up in Africa. She is the author of two novels and several books for children, and has had short stories published in anthologies and other outlets.
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
