Not Now, Bernard

David McKee (1935 - 2022) was the creator of well-known characters including King Rollo, Mr Benn and Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, which is now published in more than 60 languages and has its own successful global merchandise programme. David was born in Devon and went to Plymouth Art College, where he had a traditional training. On leaving college he drew regularly for Punch, Reader’s Digest, and The Times Educational Supplement. His drawings were influenced especially by Saul Steinberg and Andre Francois. In 2020, David won the British Book Awards Illustrator of the Year Award and BookTrust’s Lifetime Achievement Award.Bernard's got a problem: he's found a monster in the back garden but his mum and dad are just too busy to notice. So Bernard tries to befriend the monster… and that doesn't go quite to plan. David McKee's iconic picture book is loved by children, monsters and adults for forty years. ‘...even more relevant in an era of parents glued to their mobile phones’ DAILY MAIL, Best Reads Ever 'Arguably the finest children’s book ever written, McKee’s clever fable is both a warning to neglectful parents and a very funny story about being ignored.' THE i NEWSPAPER 'My favourite books for very young children are Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Not Now Bernard by David McKee.' Michael Rosen 'Not Now Bernard is THE book of our times' Frank Cottrell-Boyce 'It's so good!' Adam Buxton 'Funny to a four year old and meaningful to a 36 year old' Ben Bailey Smith aka Doc Brown"My favourite books for very young children are Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Not Now Bernard by David McKee.""Not Now Bernard is THE book of our times""Arguably the finest children's books ever written, McKee's clever fable is both a warning to neglectful parents and a very funny story about being ignored.""It's so good!""Not Now, Bernard could be the most profound picture book I’ve ever read. [It’s] possibly my favourite picture book of all time. It's so powerful, it's so funny, dark - it's everything. That to me is the number one kids book of all time... It's funny to a four year old and meaningful to a 36 year old"