Book Review: Mr Men: Mr Tickle (50th Anniversary Edition), by Roger Hargreaves

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It has been half a decade since Roger Hargreaves responded to his son’s question, “What does a tickle look like?” His answer was given by way of a long-armed, mischievous creature that became the first of over 90 characters to enthral children and adults alike. The Mr Men series of books was born, with the Little Miss range to follow.

That son, Adam Hargreaves, has since taken over the series from his father and now adds to the legend with a backstory of how it all began, bound in a golden, large-format anniversary edition of Mr Tickle.

The new story is only four pages long, with its own colourful drawings. It segues nicely into the founding story about the extraordinary Mr Tickle, who wakes up one sunny day and causes pandemonium throughout the town as he uses his ridiculously long arms to hide from and tickle the school teacher, traffic police, greengrocer, railway guard, doctor, and more.

The text is as much fun as it was when first released in 1971 but the full-page magic marker images don’t enlarge well from the 14×12.6 cm book size that they were designed for. While still clear enough to enjoy, they lack the sharpness of the latest drawings that accompany the backstory at the beginning. Even so, the charm of the pictures remains intact and will be loved by all fans of the series. Kids, in particular, are bound to be immersed in the larger images, which will no doubt add extra fun and wonder to any reading.

For collectors, fans, or anyone who prefers larger-format text and pictures, the 50^th anniversary edition of Mr Tickle, with its bonus story, is absolutely worth the investment.

Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet

Distributed by: Penguin Books Australia
Released: March 2021
RRP: $16.99 hardcover

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