Not Now, Bernard

Not Now, Bernard

Not Now, Bernard: First edition 1980
Author	David McKee
Illustrator	David McKee
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Children's picture book
Publisher	Andersen Press
Publication date	1980
Media type	Hardcover
ISBN	978-1783449736

Not Now, Bernard is a children's picture book written and illustrated by David McKee. It is widely considered a modern classic.^[1]

Publication[]

First published in 1980 by Andersen Press, Not Now, Bernard has been translated into more than 20 languages. In 40 years, it's never been out of print.^[1]

Reception[]

Not Now, Bernard was controversial on publication.^[2] Kirkus Reviews were doubtful it would appeal to children, and many reviewers thought it'd frighten them - after all, the book's child hero does get eaten.^[3] In an interview with author McKee in 2020, he says some libraries “banned it for violence”.^[4] But it has become a modern classic.

Described by Donna Ferguson in The Guardian as a “cautionary tale of the perils of ignoring children”, it's a book many parents see themselves in.^[5] As Sheila Hancock wrote in The Independent, this book “demonstrates that parents can be naughty too”. And that “when we don’t listen to people, monsters can take over”.^[6]

Legacy[]

Still in print more than 40 years later, an updated 40th-anniversary edition was released in 2020. We now see the parents preoccupied by their digital devices, on top of the housework and D.I.Y.^[5]

In 2020 author and illustrator McKee was awarded the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his whole body of work, including Not Now, Bernard.

According to BookTrust, as of 2021 Not Now, Bernard has sold more than 5 million copies.^[7]

Notes and references[]