30 years of Elmer, the indispensable elephant


in a Devon street, and although these books were not constructed as vehicles for debating ethics and morality, a story born from that encounter was always going to have an edge to it. The Elmer books are full of fun, friendship and colourful goings-on, but running through them are fundamental questions about the needs of individuals, how people should behave to one another and what kind of society we want to live in. Emotional literacy and a values-driven framework lie at the heart of these books, with themes including self-esteem and wellbeing, individuality, diversity and belonging explored


Elmer the patchwork elephant has long held a special place in many hearts. He’s a fun-loving optimist who thinks for himself, cares about others and is a dab hand at getting everyone to work together, so it’s a pleasure to see the 30th birthday celebrations planned this year on his behalf. Carey Fluker Hunt reviews his impact.


The first book about Elmer actually appeared way back in 1968 but was republished with new artwork in 1989 by Klaus Flugge at Andersen Press, where it was soon followed by many more. There are currently 39 books in the collection and the fortieth, Elmer’s Birthday, will join them in September. But how did the idea for the first story come about?


McKee admits that aspects of Elmer are manifestations of his own personality and has talked about the family members who inspired other characters, including a ventriloquist uncle who bequeathed his skills to Elmer’s cousin Wilbur. Significantly, though, the impulse to create a multicoloured hero with mixed feelings about fitting in with the herd came in response to a racist slur hurled at his daughter


4 Books for Keeps No.236 May 2019


throughout. As a character, Elmer demonstrates some really effective attributes and skills. Whether mediating between groups wanting to use the same river, putting two and two together about a ‘terrifying’ monster or managing the behaviour of a bunch of overexcited (and competitive) youngsters, Elmer’s calm optimism, together with an ability to think for himself, ask the right questions, listen carefully and bring everyone on board, makes him an exemplary problem-solver. Even when the difficulties seem intractable (the hunters are closing in, he’s fallen down a cliff, the rainbow’s lost its colours) Elmer never panics, and his capacity for grappling kindly, creatively and effectively with the big issues of the day make him indispensable.


‘What would Elmer do?’ The Guardian named Elmer an LGBTQ hero in 2014 for notching up a quarter-century of ‘opening people’s minds to accepting difference and being themselves’, an achievement he well deserves. But Elmer’s patchwork colours don’t just stand for individuality and diversity, they’re the mark of the jungle’s most effective leader, too. ‘What do you want us to do now?’ chorus the other elephants when one of the herd is stuck in a flood, and ‘What would Elmer do?’ is a question we should all ask when facing our next challenge. Elmer himself would be perplexed at his approach being held up as some kind of road map for living a better life – and one suspects David McKee might feel similarly. But however diffident he might be about Elmer as a role model, McKee admits that he likes his books to start something – ‘What I like doing is provoking discussion’ – and must be quietly satisfied to see a lifetime’s work doing just that.


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