David McKee

David John McKee (2 January 1935 – 6 April 2022), was a British writer and illustrator, chiefly of children's books and animations.

For his contribution as a children's illustrator, he was UK nominee for the biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2006. After attending grammar school, he studied at Plymouth College of Art.

The first book he sold was of a story he had told at college, Two Can Toucan. His 29 Elmer books have sold more than 10 million copies and have appeared in more than 60 languages being adapted as a stage play and an animated series. The character has spawned a range of merchandise, including soft toys, from London Emblem and Elmer board books. McKee illustrated the songs "Toy Boy" and "Lonely Alcoholic" in singer-songwriter Mika's extended play Songs for Sorrow.

He illustrated books by other authors, including some of the more recent Paddington Bear books. Five films for the Save the Children fund followed, then a series of films based on the King Rollo books, with two friends, Clive Juster and Leo Nielsen. The company King Rollo Films was started. The company maintained its success, with McKee being involved on projects usually as a writer. He won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1987. His previous wife was Barbara Ennuss, with whom he had three children. He declared it a "shock" but "fantastic", and said he had "never been one for the spotlight or winning awards". McKee was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Plymouth College of Art in 2011.

Each year, instead of Christmas cards, McKee would send handmade New Year's greeting envelopes to relatives and friends, typically on a theme of surprises to come or a farewell to the previous year. Children's book publisher, Klaus Flugge documented some of the illustrated envelopes he was sent by artists, including McKee, in 2011.

Death McKee died after a short illness in Provence, France, on 6 April 2022, aged 87.

Legacy An exhibition "Elmer and Mr Benn: the magic of David McKee" runs at St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery in Hampshire from July to September in 2026.