Two new Mr. Men books are hitting the shelves, and the characters are pretty relatable.
The Mr. Men books are classics, aren’t they? First launched in 1971 with Mr. Tickle, Roger Hargreaves’ series has become iconic, with children (and their parents) up and down the UK and beyond enjoying them for over five decades. The characters have been reimagined for Father’s Day, and there are Halloween editions too – they’re surely among the nation’s favourite children’s books.
And today, two new Mr. Men books have been released, debuting the first new Mr. Men characters for three years.
The first is Mr. Fib, the 51st Mr. Men character. He’s round and green, with a blue top hat, and “fibs to impress people” – something many of us will have been able to relate to at one time or another. The book follows his adventures as his lies spiral out of control.
Then there’s Little Miss Surprise, a purple character with wild pink hair who “never knows what each day may bring”. She takes Mr. Quiet, who appeared first in 1978, on a surprise day out.
They follow Mr. Calm, who appeared for the first time in 2021, and was designed to help children manage stress. All of these new characters were invented by Adam Hargreaves, Roger’s son, who took over the series after his dad’s death in 1988.
However, Adam is said to have had an important role in the world of Mr. Men right from the very beginning. It was after an inquisitive young Adam asked his father what a tickle looked like that Roger got the idea to create Mr. Tickle.
Adam says of the new books, “Mr Fib has been rattling around in my imagination for a long while. Little Miss Surprise, of course, popped into my head right out of the blue!"
“It’s always fun creating new characters to add to the series, although I’ve got a way to go to catch up with my dad.”
Over the years, the books have sold over 250 million copies in 28 countries and in 17 languages, while there have been a few TV series based on the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters and their adventures, too. And now, Mr. Fib and Little Miss Surprise are firmly part of the gang.
For more on brilliant books, here are 15 of the best personalised books for children in 2024, while these are the 17 best story books for toddlers. For older kids, here are the best books for teens, and don’t miss out on these 37 inspiring children's book quotes for people of all ages.
