Not Now, Bernard

'Not Now, Bernard', now a picture book classic, tells the tale of young Bernard and the grumpy monster at the bottom of the garden. McKee's wry and hilarious, but rather dark book is not only a thinly veiled reproach to tired, unobservant parents (I saw Bernard's mother with a wince of self-recognition, and I suspect we've all been her, at least sometimes). The story is also a plea for empathy for all those little monsters out there. 'Not Now, Bernard' is a tale of tired, fed up parents, childhood sadness, rage and, above all, imagination. A small reminder of how being ignored can make a little monster out of the best of us. Like the very best of picture books, this speaks to the adult reader as much as the child being read to.