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291 of 293 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If '1984' or 'The Trial' had been a children's book, Mr Messy would be it. No literary character has ever been so fully and categorically obliterated by the forces of social control. Hargreaves may well pay homage to Kafka and Orwell in this work, but he also goes beyond them.
We meet Mr Messy - a man whose entire day-to-day existence is the undiluted expression of his individuality. His very untidiness is a metaphor for his blissful and unselfconscious disregard for the Social Order. Yes, there are times when he himself is a victim of this individuality - as when he trips over a brush he has left on his garden path - but he goes through life with a smile on his face.
That is, until a chance meeting with Mr Neat and Mr Tidy - the archetypal men in suits. They set about a merciless programme of social engineering and indoctrination that we are left in no doubt is in flagrant violation of his free will. 'But I like being messy' he protests as they anonymize both his home and his person with their relentless cleaning activity, a symbolism thinly veiled.
This process is so thorough that by the end of it he is unrecognizable - a homogenized pink blob, no longer truly himself (that vibrant Pollock-like scribble of before). He smiles the smile of a brainwashed automaton, blandly accepting what he has been given no agency to question or refuse. It is in this very smile that the sheer horror of what we have seen to occur is at its most acute.
Somewhere behind this blank expression though is a latent anger - a trace of self-knowledge as to what he once was - in the barbed observation he makes to Neat and Tidy that they have even deprived him of his name.
The book ends with a dry reminder from Hargreaves that just as with the secret police in some totalitarian regime, our own small expressions of uniqueness and volition may also result in a visit from these sinister suited agents.
We meet Mr Messy - a man whose entire day-to-day existence is the undiluted expression of his individuality. His very untidiness is a metaphor for his blissful and unselfconscious disregard for the Social Order. Yes, there are times when he himself is a victim of this individuality - as when he trips over a brush he has left on his garden path - but he goes through life with a smile on his face.
That is, until a chance meeting with Mr Neat and Mr Tidy - the archetypal men in suits. They set about a merciless programme of social engineering and indoctrination that we are left in no doubt is in flagrant violation of his free will. 'But I like being messy' he protests as they anonymize both his home and his person with their relentless cleaning activity, a symbolism thinly veiled.
This process is so thorough that by the end of it he is unrecognizable - a homogenized pink blob, no longer truly himself (that vibrant Pollock-like scribble of before). He smiles the smile of a brainwashed automaton, blandly accepting what he has been given no agency to question or refuse. It is in this very smile that the sheer horror of what we have seen to occur is at its most acute.
Somewhere behind this blank expression though is a latent anger - a trace of self-knowledge as to what he once was - in the barbed observation he makes to Neat and Tidy that they have even deprived him of his name.
The book ends with a dry reminder from Hargreaves that just as with the secret police in some totalitarian regime, our own small expressions of uniqueness and volition may also result in a visit from these sinister suited agents.
Format:Paperback
A great stocking filler for a very messy man to remind him that I wouldn't have it any other way as most immaculate houses I know are very dull!! As with most of the Mr. Men books it's a kid's story with a grown-up moral. I love the Mr. Men library & bought Mr. Tickle as well. How can you grow out of these books?!!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.
To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Mr. Messy was one of her picks.
To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Mr. Messy was one of her picks.
Mr. Messy really is aptly named. He lived in a messy looking house with peeling paint, broken windows, a garden gate falling off its hinges, uncut grass, random items all over the house along with an unmade bed, and a broom that he tripped on in the garden. In fact, he was so messy, he bothered my daughter. As a result, she did something that she usually did not do . . . she got her crayons out and began making things look better.
Then Mr. Messy went for a walk and found the neatest cottage he had ever seen. Outside were Mr. Clean and Mr. Neat who were tidying things up. They asked Mr. Messy if they could help him. Mr. Messy agreed, and they quickly cleaned up the outside. Then they cleaned up the inside. Then, they realized that Mr. Messy needed work, too, and they cleaned him up also. After that, Mr. Messy said that 'I'm going to have to change my name!' All three became best of friends.
For years, whenever our daughter's room would start to get messy, we would ask her if she wanted a visit from Mr. Neat and Mr. Clean. She would laugh and start picking things up.
This is a good book for helping your child learn good tidiness habits, because the consequences of the alternative become obvious in a particularly humorous way.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fantastic
Mr Men are one of the few franchises that started out with the intention to educate and entertain and not sell cheap and tacky merchandise like so many do on children's TV these... Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2009 by RoboNuggie
Not a cure for being messy
Some of the Mr Men books help relay a message to the child about being noisy or impolite etc - ut this book doesn't really work. Read more
Published on 26 Jan 2009 by Daddy-O
A lovely little book
What can I say that hasn't already been said? All the Mr Men and Little Misses books are just so much fun! Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2008 by Gra & Co
Adorable
An excellent story about that cute fuzzy pink character. There's a brilliant picture of him with a sad face. Has the usual Mr Man charm.
Published on 28 Dec 2003 by "sunnybunch"
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