AATISHOOOO!!! (Mr Sneeze - Roger Hargreaves)

Member Name: jojopillo

Product:	Mr Sneeze - Roger Hargreaves
Date:	08/04/09 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: WONDERFULLY INTERACTIVE

Disadvantages: NONE

My word, it's been eons since I saw one of these Mr Men books. A series of stories created by Roger Hargreaves, with the first being Mr Tickle in 1971.
I was at a friend's house the other night and when it was the children's bedtime; my friend's three year old daughter asked would I read her a story. So we settled down and I read Mr. Sneeze to her.

Poor Mr Sneeze is very cold all the time, he lives in Shivertown, which is the capital of Coldland, where the sun doesn't shine. He is quite appropriately blue in colour and constantly has a red nose through his persistent sneezing. Like all of the Mr Men characters he has a very distinct shape, Mr Sneeze being spikey, which is indicative of frost, I suppose.

Being extremely frustrated with being cold all the time and totally cheesed off with sneezing constantly, he sets off walking, and just carries on walking until he is far, far away. Whilst on his travels he meets a wizard who says he can help him, so Mr. Sneeze is all ears (not literally, that would probably be Mr. Listen!)

One of the things that I like about the Mr. Men series is the unique and easily identifiable shape of the book (about 4 inches (10cm) square); I've not seen any others like it. As you turn each page you have one page with writing and the opposite page with an illustration. The illustrations aren't full of detail and are pertinent to the current subject, so it is easy to get the reader, or listener in this case, involved. For instance, one picture was describing Mr Sneezes red nose and the picture was simply Mr Sneeze with a red nose, so I was easily able to point to the picture and ask what it was without anything else being in the picture and distracting from the point.

The book probably took me about 10-15 minutes to read aloud - allowing for interjections from my audience - and was thoroughly enjoyable for both reader and listener. Some of the old ways are the best and reading a child a bedtime story is such a wonderful thing to do.

These books have been around since I was young and still continue to entertain children to this day. You have to take your hat off to Roger Hargreaves for such a simple but effective format.

Summary: NOT FOR THE COLD-HEARTED :o)