Celebrated artist and author David Elliot remembers fabulous Mayfield farming stories of his childhood when he sees his artwork spanning 15.5 metres across the eastern wall of the new children’s library.

On the wall is Henry, the tidy pig, and his animal friends, taken from David’s sketchbook along with notes and scribbles, pencil marks and watercolour stains. The images are intentionally incomplete and soft, inviting young minds to fill in the gaps using their own imaginations, says David, who was a special guest at the library’s opening.

“I’m really proud to be part of this and it means a lot to me. I grew up here and those farm stories come from my childhood. My family farmed at Mayfield and my mum was full of stories about animals, so there's a lot of her in those stories.”

Henry is the main character in David’s award-winning books, Henry's Map and Henry's Stars. David’s favourite image on the wall shows three sheep, intently listening to Henry under a clock telling them when it is time to eat and sleep.

His work commissioned for the children’s library is called Canterbury Tails and the original drawing was scanned and printed onto huge vinyl panels, which are stuck to the smooth surface of the wall.

Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum director Shirin Khosraviani oversaw the installation last week and will also frame the much-smaller original work, which will hang elsewhere in the new library and civic centre, Te Whare Whakatere.