The Mr. Men books were first published in the 1970’s. Written and illustrated by the talented Roger Hargreaves they went on to sell millions and there are now 45 Mr. Men books in total. They feature simple cartoon drawings of a range of colourful characters who engage in short adventures and for young kids they are great fun. The books themselves are small in size and each separate title is dedicated to a particular character although they do occasionally guest in each other’s adventures. The unusual small and square format makes them feel like books designed specifically for children and the colourful illustrations with basic geometric shapes and familiar adventures are easy for kids to follow. They also appeal to that desire for collecting that kids often have and I remember eagerly saving up money so I could add a new Mr. Man to my collection. The first one he ever wrote is still my favourite; the squiggly long armed Mr. Tickle. This orange mischief maker was first created when Roger was asked by his then eight year old son Adam, “What does a tickle look like?” Mr. Tickle has a great adventure, eating breakfast in bed, using his long arms to go down to the kitchen and retrieve the food. He then wanders around the town hiding around corners and extending his arms to tickle unsuspecting people like the local policeman or the doctor. The characters and stories are very imaginative and while the majority are just pure daft fun some of them impart a moral lesson. Another character I loved as a child was Mr. Bump, he was blue and covered in bandages and he was always getting into accidents because of his clumsiness. The spin off Little Miss series began in 1981 and there are almost as many of them as there are Mr. Men. The books also led to the creation of an animated television series and there have been various updated versions over the years, not to mention a huge pile of merchandising. When Roger Hargreaves died suddenly in 1988 his son Adam took over writing the books and went on to add several more characters. He has a similar talent but personally I’m not keen on the more recent additions and they include less charming characters like Mr. Rude, Mr. Perfect and the cringe inducing Mr. Cool. Hargreaves actually worked in advertising before his book career took off and he had some trouble getting the first Mr. Man book published. They proved to be an instant success once he did. The rights to the books were sold off by his widow in 2004 and the characters have been licensed to various companies so not all of the products associated with them are of the same quality as the original books. The Mr. Men books are above all else, fun. They aren’t over concerned with teaching children but rather sparking their imaginations and making them laugh. They are innocent and charming and suitable for kids of any age.