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.

Early life
David John McKee was born on 2 January 1935 and raised in Tavistock, Devon, England. After attending grammar school, he studied at Plymouth College of Art.

While still at college, he began selling one-off cartoons, particularly to the national press. On leaving college, he continued this to support himself while painting, drawing regularly for, among others, Punch, Reader's Digest, and The Times Educational Supplement.

The first book he sold was of a story he had told at college, Two Can Toucan. It is about a toucan who can carry two cans of paint on its enormous bill. This was published by Abelard-Schuman in 1964; a 1985 edition with new illustrations by McKee was re-issued in 2001 by Andersen Press.

Writer and illustrator
McKee produced several characters who formed the basis of book series, including Elmer the Patchwork Elephant. Elmer was first published by Dobson Books in 1968, and was re-issued by Andersen Press in 1989. 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. One of McKee's earliest books, Six Men (1972, 2011), teaches how a war can develop.

He illustrated books by other authors, including some of the more recent Paddington Bear books. He also illustrated books written by his mother, Violet McKee, and by his son, Chuck McKee.

Films and television
The BBC used some of McKee's books on television and asked about the possibility of a more extensive project. The result was the development of a series about one of McKee's characters, the resulting series was Mr Benn, which ran for thirteen episodes first broadcast in 1971 and 1972 and was repeated regularly over the following two decades. 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. They have been responsible for various films, including Tony Ross's Towser, Eric Hill's Spot the Dog, and Lucy Cousins's Maisy. The company plans to produce 26 animated films of Elmer.

King Rollo Films has produced many other animations, including Spot the Dog and the animated stories within the BBC's children's programme Fimbles.

Personal life and honours
McKee had homes in London and the south of France where he lived with his partner Bakhta, a French-Algerian art-dealer. He shared with her an interest in collecting drawings and African tribal art. He won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1987. His previous wife was Barbara Ennuss, with whom he had three children.

He was awarded a BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, in recognition of his whole body of work. He declared it a "shock" but "fantastic", and said he'd "never been one for the spotlight or winning awards". McKee was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Plymouth College of Art in 2011.

Death
McKee died on 6 April 2022 after a short illness. He was 87.