The Mr. Men series has one of the largest catalogs of characters in the children's book arena. The Man we will be focusing on today is a tree-shaped fellow who is related to the older gentleman known in the United Kingdom as Father Christmas.
THREE PROS
*In terms of bang-for-your-buck, this particular story gives you more Men per square inch than almost any other Hargreaves publication
*Something about Mr. Small receiving a jelly bean and its relative worth to him given his stature is a good lesson for kids to chew on
*As a geography buff, I enjoyed the fact that the story opens up the possibility for discussion of the Earth's poles and other planetary tidbits
THREE CONS
*While it would have shortened the story significantly, Mr. Christmas' cordial denial of Santa's reindeer loan was probably not the best way to demonstrate the benefit of accepting a helping hand or taking the easy route when it does not involve taking shortcuts
*Mr. Greedy and Mr. Uppity both seem to have been improperly named -- perhaps the author considered these as euphemisms for who they really are (Mr. Glutton and Mr. Rich), but I consider them two adjectives I will need to spend extra time redefining for my son
*I would have preferred it if Mr. Christmas was referred to as such throughout the book instead of as "Christmas" -- a tiny amount of confusion can arise when trying to decide if the author is discussing the Man or the day
ONE DAD'S OPINION
While I will probably never complete the whole collection of Mr. Men books to verify what I am about to say, I have to believe that this publication falls in the bottom half of the group. It just doesn't pack the punch you would expect -- even with an appearance by the big guy himself (Santa). In theory, a story like this could find its way into your hands every December just because of the subject matter. Instead, let me suggest you choose a different Mr. Men book that will entertain you the other eleven months of the year.
ONE DAD'S OPINION
While I will probably never complete the whole collection of Mr. Men books to verify what I am about to say, I have to believe that this publication falls in the bottom half of the group. It just doesn't pack the punch you would expect -- even with an appearance by the big guy himself (Santa). In theory, a story like this could find its way into your hands every December just because of the subject matter. Instead, let me suggest you choose a different Mr. Men book that will entertain you the other eleven months of the year.
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
