New children’s exhibition to explore the imagination of Oi Frog! author Kes Gray

A new family-friendly exhibition opening at the Museum of Chelmsford this autumn will explore the works of bestselling children’s author, Kes Gray, who comes from Chelmsford.

Through interactive exhibits, toys and illustrations ‘Oi Chelmsford! Kes Gray: Chelmsford Born and Read’ will celebrate the author’s best loved book characters and share how his childhood experiences across Chelmsford have influenced their adventures. 

Author’s Chelmsford childhood inspired popular children’s books

Kes Gray was born at St John’s Hospital, Chelmsford in 1960. He grew up on the Moulsham Lodge Estate between 1960 and 1977 and after an award-winning career writing TV commercials, turned his attention to writing children’s stories.

In 2001, his first published picture book, Daisy Eat Your Peas, pipped Harry Potter to become overall winner of the Red House Children’s Book Award. Since then, Kes has had over 100 children’s stories published, including the popular Oi Frog & Friends! picture books and ‘Trouble With’ Daisy chapter book series.

Daisy Eat Your Peas won the 2001 Red House Children’s Book Award, beating J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

Well-loved by young families for their humour and creativity, Kes’s stories for children have on many occasions been inspired by his experiences as a child growing up in Chelmsford.

Colourful and interactive exhibition to engage little ones’ imaginations

‘Oi Chelmsford!’ is an ode to Kes Gray’s quirky imagination. Children will be able to immerse themselves in the author’s books, with large, bold and colourful illustrations on display – including drawings by famed children’s illustrators, Nick Sharratt, Garry Parsons and Jim Field.

Kes Gray's Oi! series of children's picture books are extremely popular with families.

His stories and characters will also be brought to life through sensory-stimulating activities and role-playing games for children to interact with. These will include a fishing game, memory playing cards, a pop-up play sweet shop and a private kids’ hangout space.

Cabinet Deputy for Cultural Services, Councillor Jennie Lardge, says the interactive exhibition aims to spark imaginative thought among young visitors:

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"Kes Gray is a well-beloved author in my household. My children adore his Oi Frog! series and we've read Quick Quack Quentin more times than I care to admit – I could probably recite it from memory!

"This new exhibition at the Museum of Chelmsford has been specifically curated for children. Through loud, fun, and immersive exhibits, young visitors will be able to delve into the deeply creative imagination of Kes Gray and discover how their favourite characters and stories have been influenced by their hometown of Chelmsford.

"Our hope is that Oi Chelmsford! will help younger visitors to feel more engaged with their local museum, and perhaps even inspire them to create their own stories based on their adventures around Chelmsford. I'm personally looking forward to bringing my children to visit as soon as it opens."

Cllr Jennie Lardge, Cabinet Deputy for Cultural Services

Increasing access for SEN families

Oi Chelmsford! has been curated by the museum in collaboration with Kes Gray and publishers Penguin Random House and Hachette Children’s Group. The museum has also worked closely on the exhibition with young Special Educational Needs (SEN) families through the charity Action for Family Carers. Local SEN families have been consulted during the design phase of the exhibition, to ensure interactive elements are widely accessible to all families and provide positive sensory experiences for SEN children. The outcome of this work will help build upon the museum’s existing offer for SEN families.

Donation of toy collection sparked new exhibition

In 2023, Kes returned to the Museum of Chelmsford for the first time in more than 50 years. After the visit, he decided to donate a large part of his collection of toys, games and literary memorabilia to the museum. Following further discussions with museum curators, an idea formed to create a children’s exhibition dedicated to his stories.

Varied toys and literary memorabilia from Kes Gray's personal collection have been donated to the Museum of Chelmsford.

Kes says his memories and collection of childhood toys has been crucial to his success as a children’s author:

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“I have always believed that to be a children’s author it is essential to stay in touch with your childhood. I have always stayed in touch with mine, both through the acute memory I possess and the toys and childhood memorabilia that I have retained and collected throughout my life.

“65 years into my life, I am very happy to be gifting my author archives as well a large part of my childhood collections to my hometown museum.

“The roots of everything I am today, grew in Chelmsford. The roots of many of the stories and characters I have created, grew in Chelmsford too.

“Working so closely and inventively with everyone at the Museum of Chelmsford has been a privilege and a joy. I very much look forward to the exhibition opening and to seeing my residency of Chelmsford, in a fun way, come full circle!”

Kes Gray, Children’s Author

As well as interactives and illustrations, the exhibition will connect Kes’s stories to elements of his Chelmsford childhood through his own recollections, archival material and his donated collection of toys and memorabilia.

Photographs of Chelmsford from Kes's childhood will feature in the exhibition.

Exhibition curator, Sarah Harvey, says:

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“Most families, including my own, know Kes Gray’s books very well. From the sassy Oi Frog! series to the cheeky ‘Trouble With’ Daisy books, his stories have had a significant impact in the field of children’s literature over the last 25 years.

“So, when Kes got in touch with us to donate some of his historic toy collection and archival material to the Museum of Chelmsford, we knew right away what a great opportunity this presented to celebrate a well-known Chelmsford figure, and we very quickly decided to work with Kes on an exhibition exploring his quirky stories and their Chelmsford roots.”

Sarah Harvey, Curator and Exhibitions Officer, Museum of Chelmsford

Exhibition opens 29 November

Oi Chelmsford! opens on Saturday 29 November and will run until June 2026.

An accompanying programme of events will provide opportunities for families to further explore the imaginative world of Kes Gray.

After the exhibition closes, a selection of Kes’s donated toys and memorabilia will go on display in the Toys and Games gallery of the museum, allowing families to continue to engage with Kes’s books and characters.