We were prepared for the most colourful day of the year! The 25th of May is “Elmer Day,” and this year’s celebration was particularly special as it marked Elmer’s 35th birthday, with hundreds of events taking place in schools, nurseries, libraries, and bookshops across the country and around the world!
Elmer is a delightful, multicoloured elephant created by the British author David McKee. He is a very special elephant because, unlike the others, he is covered in patches of different colours. Unhappy with his appearance, one day he painted himself grey as a joke. This amused his fellow elephants so much that they decided to celebrate Elmer Day every year, where everyone paints themselves in bright colours while Elmer paints himself grey.
“Elmer Day” is therefore a day to celebrate the value of diversity, the notion that being different should not lead to exclusion, and the idea that life is much richer when it embraces differences.
At BSA, BSX, and BSG, we read many stories about our friend Elmer, created birthday cards for him, played games to prepare a cake, and held a birthday party.
It was a splendid day! Happy Birthday, Elmer!
