Elmer (ISBN 9781842707319) is a children's fantasy picture book of thirty pages written and illustrated by the British artist and author David McKee. It was first published in 1969. McKee produced a revised version of the book, with new illustrations and a slightly shorter text, that was first published in 1989.
The book's title character and protagonist, inspired by the former mascot of the zoo in Bordeaux, France, is a multicolored elephant. The story, somewhat in the tradition of "The Ugly Duckling" and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, concerns an animal who is unhappy because he is different from others of his kind, although Elmer is very popular with his peers.
Elmer has been adapted for stage and television. McKee went on to write a further forty-three books about Elmer the Patchwork Elephant that were first published between 1991 and 2022.
Plot
There is a herd of elephants. Although each elephant is unique, they are all gray apart from Elmer. Elmer's skin is covered with squares that are yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, green, black and white. He is popular with the other elephants and always makes them laugh and smile. Elmer, however, suspects that the other elephants laugh at him because they find his appearance ridiculous.
Elmer gets up early one morning in search of a bush covered in gray berries. On his way to the bush, Elmer passes several other animals who all say, "Good morning, Elmer," to him. When he finds the bush, Elmer shakes it so that the berries fall on the ground. He rolls around on the berries, mashing them and covering his body in gray juice. When he is gray all over, Elmer goes to rejoin his herd. He passes the same animals on his way back. They all say, "Good morning, elephant," to him. Elmer is pleased that the other animals do not recognize him.
When he rejoins his herd, Elmer has the feeling that something is wrong. He looks around and sees the "same old jungle, same old bright sky, same old rain cloud that came over from time to time and lastly same old elephants." Elmer then realizes that the other elephants are much more silent, still and serious than usual. The quieter and more serious the other elephants are, the more it makes Elmer want to laugh. Eventually, he cannot stand it any longer and shouts, "Boo!" The other elephants all jump in surprise. They then realize that the elephant who surprised them must be Elmer in disguise. They all laugh at Elmer's greatest ever joke. At that moment, it begins to rain. The rain washes the gray juice off Elmer's body and his true colors are revealed.
The elephants decide to commemorate the day of Elmer's greatest ever joke each year. On that day, all elephants decorate their skin with various multicolored designs and have a parade. If anyone sees a gray elephant on that day, that elephant must be Elmer in disguise.