History Literature / NotNowBernard

* AbusiveParents: Bernard's parents are extremely neglectful and fail to notice that Bernard has been eaten.

* TheStoic: Bernard’s parents rarely show any emotion, and Bernard doesn't seem overly concerned that the monster wants to eat him.

* DownerEnding: Bernard gets eaten by the monster and his parents don’t even notice. They just send the monster to bed, not even catching on that their son isn't there anymore.

* TheStoic: Bernard’s parents rarely show any emotion.

Bernard is a young boy who tries to get his parents' attention, but they just keep saying "Not now, Bernard." When he tries to tell them that there is a monster outside, they still aren't concerned. So he goes outside and tries to confront the monster himself, only for the monster to eat him up. The monster goes back inside and begins menacing Bernard's parents, but gets met with the exact same reaction. They serve him dinner and send him to bed, completely unaware that their son has been eaten alive.

* AbusiveParents: Bernard's parents are extremely neglectful and fail to notice that Bernard got eaten by a monster.

* DownerEnding: The story ends on a surprisingly pessimistic note. Bernard gets eaten by the monster and his parents don’t even notice. They just send the monster to bed and turn the light out, completely unaware that their child isn’t there anymore.
* FailedASpotCheck: Bernard's parents don't realize that the monster doesn't look like their son in the slightest, even when it's right in front of them.

* ParentalObliviousness: Bernard’s parents never catch on that he’s been eaten by a monster and just assume that it's him acting naughty.

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: When the monster roars at Bernard’s mother, she doesn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

* BefriendingTheEnemy: When Bernard realizes that his parents aren’t going to help him with the monster in the garden, he goes outside and politely says hello to the monster. [[RealityEnsues He doesn’t quite get the reaction he was hoping for, though…]]

* NotNowKiddo: "Not now, Bernard"

* AmbiguousGender: Although it is believed by many to be male, the monster is never referred to by gender.

* {{Catchphrase}}: Bernard's parent - "Not not, Bernard"

[[quoteright:230:[[Literature/NotNowBernard https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/305de855246c294e3ebda3d3170f0b32.jpg]]]]

* Abusive parents: Bernard parents are extremely neglectful. Failing to notice that Bernard got eaten by a monster.

* BefriendingtheEnemy: When Bernard realizes that his parents aren’t going to help him with the monster in the garden, he goes outside and politely says hello to the monster. [[RealityEnsues He doesn’t quite get the reaction he was hoping for, though…]]

* Catchphrase: Bernard's parent - "Not not, Bernard"
* DownerEnding: The story ends on a surprisingly pessimistic note. Bernard gets eaten by the monster and his parents don’t even notice. They just send the monster to bed and turn the light out, completely unaware that their child isn’t there anymore.

* TheStoic: Bernard’s parents.

* Befriending theEnemy: When Bernard realizes that his parents aren’t going to help him with the monster in the garden, he goes outside and politely says hello to the monster. [[RealityEnsues He doesn’t quite get the reaction he was hoping for, though…]]

* BefriendingtheEnemy: When Bernard realizes that his parents aren’t going to help him with the monster in the garden, he goes outside and politely says hello to the monster. [[RealityEnsues He doesn’t quite get the reaction he was hoping for, though…]]

Bernard is a young boy who tries to get his parents' attention, but they just keep saying "Not now, Bernard." When he tries to tell them that there is a monster outside, they still aren't concerned. So he goes outside and tries to confront the monster himself, only for the monster to eat them up. The monster goes back inside and begins menacing Bernard's parents, but gets met with the exact same reaction. They serve him dinner and send him to bed, completely unaware that their son has been eaten alive.

* ParentalObliviousness: Bernard’s parents never catch on that he’s been eaten by a monster, who is now rampaging across the house.

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: When the monster roars at Bernard’s mother, she doesn’t seem fazed at all and just assumes that it’s Bernard acting naughty.

''Not Now Bernard'' is a 1980 children's book written and illustrated by David [=McKee=].

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* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: When the monster roars at Bernard’s mother, she doesn’t seem fazed at all and just assumes that it’s Bernard acting naughty.

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!!This book provides examples of:

!!This book provides examples of:

* AmbiguousGender: Although it is believed by many to be male, the monster is never referred to by gender.
* AmusingInjuries: When Bernard tries to say hello to his father, he accidentally smashes his finger with a hammer. His face even turns green and he screams in pain. Later on, the monster bites the father on the leg and his reaction is pretty much the same, only his face turns purple instead of green.
* BefriendingtheEnemy: When Bernard’s parents make it clear that they are too busy to help him with the monster in the garden, he goes outside and greets the monster politely, hoping that they will become friends. [[RealityInsues