Children’s Museum Fall Gallery Exhibit Features Work of David McPhail

Henry Bear, a character created by author/illustrator David McPhail, is just one of the charming children’s book characters featured in a new exhibit of McPhail’s work at the Children’s Museum of NH this fall.

DOVER, NH – Celebrating children’s literature, Gallery 6 at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is presenting an exhibit featuring the whimsical work of New Hampshire author and illustrator David McPhail. This new show, David McPhail: Looking Back … and Beyond, opens September 17 and will be on exhibit until the end of the year.

Recognized as one of the most influential and prolific children’s writers in the country, David McPhail has been a passionate artist since the age of two. He studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and began illustrating books for children in 1972. Since then, he's created over 75 books, including the celebrated Mole Music, which was a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year.

This fall, visitors to Gallery 6 will get a glimpse into David’s creative process from his first experiments with simple ideas and drawings, to more refined sketches and preliminary dummy books, culminating in finished artwork that brings David’s animal characters to life. Children and adults will enjoy meeting Henry Bear, Waddles the Raccoon, Emily Duck, Budgie & Boo and the characters from David’s newest book, Abandoned Lighthouse, coming out this fall.

As a special treat, David McPhail will be conducting a mini-workshop as part of the Children’s Museum’s Annual Birthday Celebration on Sunday, September 25 at 1:30 pm. He looks forward to meeting with visitors of all ages to talk about his creative process, doig some drawing with children, and answering questions about being an artist. This mini-workshop is included in paid admission to the museum.

The David McPhail: Looking Back … and Beyond exhibit in Gallery 6 can be viewed during regular business hours at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm and Sunday noon – 5 pm. No admission fee is required to view the gallery only. Regular admission applies for families who wish to explore the rest of the museum.

About the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire

The not-for-profit Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is located at 6 Washington Street in Dover and offers two levels of hands-on, custom-created exhibits for children ages 1-12. Children can explore a wide range of subjects, from dinosaurs, music and aeronautics to world cultures, art and natural history. Open year-round, the museum specializes in creating family learning experiences and works closely with schools, social service agencies and educators. The museum also hosts a variety of live performances, workshops, classes and special events for families. For more information, please call the museum at (603) 742-2002 or visit www.childrens-museum.org