Village Shepherd

There's a wonderful children's book by David McKee, called "Not Now, Bernard." (Published by Random Century Children's Books, 1980. ISBN 0 09 924050 5) In it, Bernard keeps trying, without success, to capture his parents' attention. Every time he says anything to either of his parents they say: "Not now, Bernard." Eventually he says to his mother: "There's a monster in the garden and it's going to eat me." She says: "Not now, Bernard." So Bernard goes out into the garden, and the monster eats him up, every bit.