The book immediately reminds the reader of Not Now, Bernard, in which we see a similarly fobbed-off child. However, there are two key differences with the McKee classic. Firstly, the parental phrase ‘That’s nice, love’, is far kindlier than the dismissive ‘Not Now, Bernard’. This points to the fact that the parent is not being brusque, they perhaps don’t even realise how absent they are being. This is emphasised by the second difference, the ending. While Bernard ends with the eponymous character being eaten by/turning into a monster, That’s Nice, Love wraps up far more hopefully, with the child gently confronting the parent and the adult being shocked at their own neglectful behaviour, promising to do better in the future; it’s a touching reconciliation. Sam Creighton for Just Imagine
