David McKee Quotes

“After a long walk, Elmer found what he was looking for- a large bush. A large bush covered with elephant-coloured berries.”

“This will be Elmer’s day. All elephants must decorate themselves and Elmer will decorate himself in elephant colour.”

“There once was a herd of elephants. Elephants young, elephants old, elephants tall or fat or thin. Elephants like this, that or the other, all different but all happy and all the same colour. All, that is, except Elmer.”

“Elmer was different. Elmer was patchwork. Elmer was yellow and orange and red and pink and purple and blue and green and black and white.”

“When Elmer rejoined the other elephants, they were all standing quietly. None of them noticed Elmer as he worked his way to the middle of the herd.”

“When he had finished, Elmer looked like any other elephant.”

“On that day if you happen to see an elephant ordinary elephant colour, you will know it must be Elmer.”

″...if there was even a little smile, it was usually Elmer who started it.”

“The elephants were standing absolutely still. Elmer had never seen them so serious before. The more he looked at the serious, silent, still, standing elephants, the more he wanted to laugh.”

“As they laughed, the rain cloud burst and when the rain fell on Elmer, his patchwork started to show again.”

″‘Oh Elmer,’ gasped an old elephant. ‘You’ve played some good jokes but this has been the biggest laugh of all. It didn’t take you long to show your true colours.‘”

“One night Elmer couldn’t sleep for thinking, and the think that he was thinking was that he was tired of being different.”

“ ‘There’s a monster in the garden and it’s going to eat me,’ said Bernard. ‘Not now, Bernard,’ said his mother.”

“Your dinner’s ready,’ said Bernard’s mother. She put the dinner in front of the television.”

“The monster ate the dinner. Then it watched the television. Then it read one of Bernard’s comics. And broke one of his toys.”

“Bernard went into the garden. ‘Hello, Monster,’ he said to the monster. The monster ate Bernard up, every bit.”

“But I’m a monster,’ said the monster. ‘Not now, Bernard,’ said Bernard’s mother.”

“Then the monster went indoors. ‘ROAR,’ went the monster behind Bernard’s mother. ‘Not now, Bernard,’ said Bernard’s mother.”

“The monster bit Bernard’s father. ‘Not now, Bernard,’ said Bernard’s father.”

“ ‘Go to bed. I’ve taken up your milk,’ called Bernard’s mother. The monster went upstairs.”