To folk my age, David McKee was always synonymous with the awesome Mr Benn, a children's TV show. It was only when C was born that I realised that this amazingly talented fellah was still going, and still producing some of the most incredible children's books including the subject of today's #Booky100Keeper entry.

There's one book that crops up again and again whenever you ask kidlit obsessives to name their favourite picture books.

"Not Now Bernard" is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, arriving all the way back in 1980 when I was too old for it - but just in time for me to read aloud to my younger brother.

Back then the message was probably way ahead of its time, and in fact the 40th anniversary edition has been updated to feature Bernard's ignorant parents doing the very thing that drives me absolutely crazy when I see it while out and about with my own daughter.

Parents on mobiles. Blissfully ignoring their kid, not giving them any attention, just like the parents in this story.

Bernard is constantly told "Not Now, Bernard" whenever he tries to talk to his mum and dad about a nasty purple monster that has taken up residence in the garden. Bernard decides to talk to the monster, and it's then that we're given a short sharp shock that feels completely at odds with anything you'll see in very few modern picture books. That 'snap' moment where the main character is done away with (in this case, scoffed up, every last bite, by the monster).

We've seen loads of well meaning but hopelessly rubbish analysis of this book over the years. What its true meaning is. Is Bernard the monster? Are his parents? Does he really get eaten? Does his mum really not realise that her son has been replaced with a monster?

Let's face it, we really don't need all that hogwash and I'm not entirely sure we needed the book to be 'messed with' for the new anniversary edition either, but as it stands - or rather as it stood, "Not Now, Bernard" is a masterpiece in subversive storytelling that delights kids every time they encounter Bernard's monstrous demise.

McKee is a bit of a marmite fellah. Some folk really love his books and understand entirely what their intent and their message is. Others go overboard in picking apart those messages, instead interpreting them as somehow menacing, subversive and harmful to children. Those folk are the sort of book folk who probably happily dictate to their child what they should and shouldn't read, and will probably never instil in their child a love of reading - or any form of that child finding their own way into books that they truly love, rather than being told to love.

Looking down the McKee books we've reviewed, particular favourites are "George's Invisible Watch" (which McKee collaborated on with his son Brett), and the sublime "The Hill and the Rock" which is a rather lovely and original morality tale that, like most of McKee's books, delivers its message subtly and rather beautifully.

More included below from this truly talented fellah, who deserves his place as a true kidlit icon.

Original Review Links: 

George's Invisible Watch by David and Brett McKee 

ReadItDaddy's Book of the Week - Week ending 15th November 2013 - "Isabel's Noisy Tummy" by David McKee (Andersen Children's Books)

A spooky Halloween Re-Review of "Not Now, Bernard" by David McKee (Andersen Children's Books)

Big Top Benn by David McKee (Tate Publishing Ltd)

Denver by David McKee (Andersen Children's Books)

The Hill and the Rock

Not Now Bernard

Two Can Toucan

Elmer and the Hippos

The King of Quizzical Island (with Gordon Snell)

Three Monsters

As I lay in the dentist chair, listening to her tummy gurgling away like a grumpy anteater, it reminded me of our book of the week this week - which was instantly seized by Charlotte the moment she saw it during our recent #Libraryhaul (btw if you want to join in with that hashtag on Twitter, tweet us a photo of YOUR library haul, we always love to see what you've picked!)

We have loved David McKee's peerless "Not Now, Bernard" for what feels like forever. I loved David McKee's surreal and slightly irreverent but always entertaining "Mr Benn" as a kid, and we always love to see what he's going to come up with next. He might be getting on a bit now but there's seemingly no slowdown in his talent - as this book demonstrates perfectly.

Isabel is a fairly ordinary little girl - with a bit of an embarrassing problem. At inopportune moments, her tummy rumbles, grumbles, growls and groans. At school it becomes the class joke and always interrupts her teachers. At home, her mum wonders just what on earth is wrong with her - and dad tells her to eat her food more slowly, more quickly or take more exercise to see if it'll sort her digestion out.

Eventually the tummy rumbling gets so bad, the doctor is called in but he can find nothing wrong either. Poor Isabel becomes more and more miserable as her tummy just won't quit its noisy announcements.

On a class visit to the zoo however, Isabel saves the day. When a rather silly Zookeeper accidentally slips and opens the tiger cage during feeding time, Isabel's tummy roars just at the right moment, saving the entire class from doom.

There is a rather chortlesome pay-off at the end of the book - which I hope I haven't ruined. Suffice to say that some books are enjoyed purely because they mix a good dose of cheekiness with something that children Charlotte's age find endlessly amusing - bodily functions. You name it, they'll probably have a good guffaw about it, and this book makes book of the week purely for the fact that it made Charlotte roar with laughter nearly as loudly as Isabel's tummy roars!

Charlotte's best bit: Oh dear, well it has to be the bit at the end. Tsk, parenting fail that she finds things like that hilarious!

Daddy's Favourite bit: I'd give my eye teeth to have even a smidge as much talent as David McKee. A generation-spanning superstar of children's books and long may he continue!

Way back in the days of yore, when this blog was just finding its feet in the world of children's books, we visited the library and picked up a book that would become a regular on this blog. Not only that, it's a book that I'm overjoyed to see so many other booky folk mention whenever they're put on the spot and have to come up with their "Top Ten Favourite / Most Influential Children's Books".

So as it's Halloween we thought we'd revisit David McKee's utterly brilliant, irreverent and monstrously good "Not Now, Bernard". Does it still tickle us the way it did back in 2010? Does it ever!

For Charlotte, "Not Now, Bernard" has to be treated with huge respect, and is subject to a set of 'read aloud' rules which I'm not allowed to deviate from in any way. I have to get the pace right. I have to express Bernard's effervescent and innocent naivety just right, I have to add just the right amount of parental exasperation for Bernard's mum and dad, and I absolutely have to get the monster right or I'll be in serious trouble! It's a tough gig!

"YOU'RE NOT READING IT RIGHT, DADDY!" is what I get if I dare deviate - or worse still, if I try to read it flatly as I do with some other books - just the normal "Daddy" voice and tone.

Bernard's mum. Vase (and wardrobe) malfunction!

The story of young Bernard, who tries to warn his parents that there's a monster living in the garden that wants to eat him - and what happens when the monster does just that - is an absolute classic. You can read between the lines and spot the cleverness of its message a mile off. Or you can actually take it at face value, and it STILL works beautifully. Bernard's parents ignore his pleas, and so the monster does exactly what it says it's going to - turning Bernard into a tasty snack. NOM!

Bernard's dad - In the wars as usual! Owch!

The monster then goes into the house - and finds that Bernard's parents still ignore everything he does. Even when it's really really naughty (like taking a chunk out of Bernard's dad's leg!)

If you're reading this, the chances are that I'm probably preaching to the converted, and you know and love the book as much as we do. Monster books have been staple fodder for us on the blog since we began but seldom few monstery books quite have the impact, the comedy, and the satisfying read-aloud feeling that you get when it works well and trips off the tongue.

David McKee is a huge talent, and I've loved his stories and TV adaptations since I was a kid. "Not Now, Bernard" was a joyous discovery and it's still a book we just can't get enough of. If you're looking for the perfect monster book for Halloween, this is what you should be picking up.
(Not Now, Daddy!)


Charlotte's best bit: Oddly, she now loves the bits where poor Bernard's dad ends up with horrific DIY and monster-inflicted injuries (and wears the bandages to prove it). Things like that should worry me, shouldn't they. 

Daddy's Favourite bit: Despite Charlotte's fairly rigid rules on how this book should be read, it's an utter joy to do so. The squeaky matter-of-fact voice I give Bernard, the exasperated sigh I give his mum and the slightly grumpy voice I give his dad - and the gurgling grunting monster voice that the monster gets, add to making this a book that I genuinely look forward to reading again and again and doubly so because it's one that Charlotte never turns down when I pull it out of the book stack. Wonderful stuff! If you do not already own it, get it!

After our circus-themed book of the week, let's stay with circuses for the moment with a look at Big Top Benn.

David McKee's timeless bowler-hatted hero has been around for well over 40 years now - and this book was first published when Mr Benn was the preferred teatime viewing for me, as I wolfed down marmite sandwiches and drank nesquick as a kid.

Introducing Charlotte to 'old telly' is always quite amusing. Some she's entranced by, some she doesn't quite get but in the case of Mr Benn here's a character that felt familiar to her, mainly because we've loved so many of David McKee's other books anyway - so she knew the art style, and knew the sort of antics Mr Benn would get up to even before I showed her clips from the show on YouTube.

In this tale, Mr Benn wakes up on a noisy summer's morning wondering where the little costume shop on the corner of Festive Road will take him. He feels light hearted and wants something fun but still full of adventure.

The fez-wearing shop owner (who made Fezzes cool way before the 11th Doctor did!) shows Mr Benn a costume that's too big, with huge floppy shoes and a rather battered hat. It's only when the shop owner hands over a bright red nose that Mr Benn understands. Today's adventure will let him be a clown in a circus, hooray!

Setting off in a rather strange car waiting just the other side of the dressing room door, Mr Benn soon finds the other members of the circus running into all sorts of difficulties before they reach the next town. With the aid of a friend from a previous adventure, the rather scary looking Smasher, Mr Benn soon gets the circus on its way again - but can he do a brilliant turn as a clown for the final show?

You'll have to read the book to find out. McKee's trademark colours and brilliant characters are all in the book, and there's some great black-and-white linework too. I still think Mr Benn is one of those children's characters that has appeal right down the generations. A great book and a brilliant trip down memory lane.

Charlotte's best bit: The wonderful trapeze artists, so delicate and lithe

Daddy's favourite bit: The Shopkeeper's brilliant turn as a magician. Pif, Paf, Pouf!

A new David McKee book is always something to shout about. A new Brett and David McKee book (Father and Son) is even better, as the two work so well together that you can barely see the join. "George's Invisible Watch" has all those wonderful characters in it that you expect from anything David McKee gets involved in. The hero, a young lad named George, becomes the town's preferred timekeeper when he's found to have an uncanny knack for knowing exactly what time it is.

At first his friends and parents scoff at his ability, but time and time again he's proved right so people begin to actually believe that he really does wear an invisible (and highly accurate) timepiece.

Of course, McKee's books are renowned for containing a rather neat little moral tale woven tightly into the plot, and the moral of this story is a lesson in what happens when you take something (or someone) for granted.

George is an endearing character (despite actually being fairly naughty at the end!) and I just can't get enough of McKee Senior's drawings. So great to see he's still producing such brilliant stuff for kids, generations on from Mr Benn.

Charlotte's best bit: The idea of an extra-long playtime.

Daddy's favourite bit: David McKee's various cool and colourful character drawings are so utterly brilliant (and the barking dog page split thing is just awesome).

David McKee's books are consistently good. He seems to have a knack for producing work that spins together a clear message with a fun and entertaining set of characters laced tightly together with a well-told story. When I was a kid, he entertained me with Mr Benn. When my brother was a whippersnapper he entertained him with King Rollo. Now he's entertaining Charlotte with his books and Denver is one of his most recent, good to know he's still as brilliant as he ever was.

Denver is an extremely rich man who does the exact opposite of what most extremely rich men do. He loves his town, he loves the people in his town, and he will go to great lengths to use his wealth to make their lives just that little bit better.

However, Denver's world changes one day when a mysterious (and rather spiteful) character arrives, spreading dissent amongst the townsfolk. Jealous of Denver's wealth, he soon sets tongues wagging and it's not long before poor Denver is forced to make a difficult life-changing choice.

For children, the book is entertaining, colourful and beautifully drawn in McKee's trademark style. For adults, the 'message' is clear and effective without being preachy and Denver is such an engaging chap that you can't help rooting for him at every turn.

Once again, McKee ends up penning our well deserved 'Book of the Week'.

Charlotte's best bit: Denver's paintings and his cute cat

Daddy's favourite bit: McKee playing with weird perspective and birds-eye views but doing so to great effect

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, Book of the Week

Oof, back after a holiday in Cornwall and with a couple of weeks off work left, I thought I'd hit the library and refresh Charlotte's last selection. After all, great as The Gruffallo is, you can only take so many readings before you're reciting the page after the one you're actually on before you've even turned over. 

Back with David McKee and yet another moral tale of parents and their relationship with their kids. Naturally, this isn't some boring psychology paper, but a neat little story showing what happens when you ignore your child or take them for granted. As with all McKee's books, the illustrations and characters are instantly a hit with children and even though this was first published in 1980, it still has plenty to say about parent-child interaction today. 

Charlotte's best bit: The monster eating Bernard up, every last bit. 

Daddy's favourite bit: The look of indignation on the monster's face when he's sent to bed. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Published by Red Fox Children's Books



David McKee's genius creations are loved by kids of all ages. I grew up with Mr Ben and King Rollo, my daughter absolutely adores Elmer and the patchwork elephant's adventures with a group of homeless hippos is an excellent read. Teaching valuable lessons about sharing and working together (something Charlotte is still working on!), it's a great addition to the gigantic Elmer library.

Charlotte's best bit: Elmer and Wilbur slowly changing colour as they get to work shifting rocks.

Daddy's favourite bit: Cousin' Wilbur's resemblance to an F1 chequered flag.

Rating: 3 out of 5