| Title | : | Mr. Messy |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0843174218 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780843174212 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 32 |
| Publication | : | First published July 10, 1972 |
Mr. Messy Reviews
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For some reason our paediatrist (or children's doctor. Way easier word than the first one. ;-P) has many of those books! *lol*
And for some reason my kid loves Mr. Messy. XD Whenever we end up there she wants me to read this book so I guess she kinda likes him? Either because he's so messy and her things tend to be all over the place too, or because... well he's pink and fluffy. Haha!
I think I'll never know. The mysteries of life! ;-P -
Mr. Messy tells a harrowing tale of a poor, admittedly somewhat untidy, man who suffers a home invasion by two fascist bully boys called Mr. Neat and Mr. Tidy. These small scale terrorists not only turn Mr. Messy's house upside-down (which admittedly makes it look much nicer by most people's standards) they also force Mr. Messy to submit to a physical and mental conditioning that ends up with the poor man being so brainwashed he even feels the need to change his very name!
Shades of 1984 and A Clockwork Orange here. I commend Roger Hargreaves for retelling these tales in a way a younger audience can understand. Bravo!
My next book:
Champions vol. 1: Outlawed -
My nephew read this and after the story he looked at me and said, “You’re like Mr. Messy. You need Mr. Neat and Tidy to clean up your room.” I had to laugh. Yep, that’s what Grad school will do to you. It’s true. Calling Mr. Neat and Mr. Tidy - please help. I would rather read than clean is also one of my problems. I like a neat and tidy room, but if I have time to clean or read, I usually will chose reading. This is a problem. So I would welcome a Mr. Tidy anytime to keep the place clean so I can read. This is the great issue of life.
Mr Messy lives up to his name. He lives in a pigsty. One day he meets some OCD people who clean for a living - Mr. Neat and Mr. Tidy. They come and clean up for him. How nice would that be. Easy and simple. -
Mr. Messy is certainly one of the most recognizable characters in the canon.
His squiggle-like appearance makes him one of my favourites and can see why he'd appeal to children as his one of the easiest to draw.
Many of the books in this series features a common characteristic where an event will change that person's outlook (for the better?) over the course of the story.
In this case Mr. Messy meets Mr. Neat and Mr. Tidy who take it upon themselves to give our main protagonist a makeover.
The thing is Mr. Messy was quite happy with his normal life, you only just have to look at his little smile on the cover.
So I'm not really sure that the message of needing to conform to a perceived way of thinking is the best message to give our young ones.
It was even acknowledged that Mr. Messy will even have to change his name.
Definitely been enlightening re-reading these as an adult! -
I felt like this was written specifically for my son when he was a baby! A wonderful Mr Mr story!
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A disturbing vision of a dystopian world where, Mr Messy, an untroubled and unruly individual is cajoled and bullied into conformity by two sinister authoritarian types to the extent that he loses his entire identity and becomes just an amorphous blob. Even more troubling, in a similar manner to Winston Smith, he comes to love his oppressors. A work worthy of Orwell or Kafka delivered in a way that can be easily digested by your children, who will be next, if we tolerate this.
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Children just love the Mr men series by Roger Hargreaves.
Just right for bedtime stories that are not too lengthy and leave children smiling.
They are also very affordable and my children have had great pleasure in reading them through the years.
Recommended. -
My 6 year old niece says Mr. Messy is really messy.
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Encontrei este velho livro na estante e decidi rele-lo. O Senhor Asseado, o Senhor Limpo, precisamos de vocês agora mais do que nunca...
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Sometimes OCD is good. Sometimes it isn't. A funny story about different personalities.
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A Book aimed at Little Boys
10 April 2016
As I was reading this book all I could think about was how as a kid my room tended to be quite messy (well, actually it wasn't as messy as some people that I have known) while my sister's room tended to be immaculate. Come to think of it when I started working I suddenly noticed that in the office the opposite ended up being true – the guy's desks tended to be immaculate and well ordered while the women's desks tended to be really messy. However, being a bit of a messy person myself (well, not really considering my house actually isn't all that bad) our main excuse for actually not tidying anything up is that we know where everything is. Anyway, I'm sure we can all picture a room like this:
However, I'm sure we have all walked past a house looking like this (or even been to visit a friend who lives in a house like this):
Mind you, when I pass a messy house I'm probably one of those people that don't see it as a messy house but rather as an opportunity to renovate, to increase the value, and then on sell it for a profit. I guess I happen to be one of those glass half full type of people, which in a way some messy people are, because even though their house, or their desk, is somewhat chaotic, there tends to be a method in their madness. Mind you, some people are messy not because they 'know where everything is' but rather because they are lazy. In fact I once lived with a guy like that, and the main reason that you can tell that this isn't somebody who sees order in chaos is because they don't actually know where anything is, and when you ask them to find something their response tends to be 'it's in there somewhere, I'll find I when I get around to it' (which usually never happens.
Anyway, as you have probably figured out, I'm sitting on a rather comfortable V-line train heading back home after a rather amazing weekend away with some friends. The problem was that getting the internet was quite difficult (and even I have a few problems uploading things because it was, well, incredibly slow). I did have the idea of doing a couple of other Mr Men books, but due to a rather packed day, and really slow internet connections (though while there was wi-fi at the camp, it was locked, and I'm not in the business of guessing passwords, even if the password happens to be 'guest') I had to settle for my journey home. However I mention that because if you were to look in my bag you would probably think that I'm also a Mr Messy.
Mind you, I have to admit that the book is a little harsh on Mr Messy, simply because he runs into a couple of guys – Neat & Tidy – who take it upon themselves to go back to Mr Messy's house and clean it all up, and then give Mr Messy a really good bath. Okay, he does end up coming out all clean, but I sometimes wonder how long Mr Messy will remain neat and tidy.
Actually, come to think of it, being neat and tidy can actually give people a sense of self-respect. In reality people don't like messy people, which is why you generally can't rock up at a job interview unshaven and wearing torn jeans. The funny thing is that once you have the job, then appearance isn't as importance as that first interview, though I doubt your employer will be all that impressed if you came in wearing torn jeans. However, even if somebody does come along to give your house a good clean, it doesn't take long for it is revert to it's former state. -
A biting allegory of our modern times. Mr Messy isn't conforming to society's norms, I bet he doesn't recycle either.
Cue the men in black (and white, to balance things up) Mr Tidy and Mr Neat to take control of Mr Messy and set him on the right path. However, even after they have sanitised his environment they know that he will not change his ways.
The bathing/waterboarding that Mr Messy undergoes finally breaks him, leaving him laughing along with hiscaptorsrescuers.
My kids loved it, obviously having not picked up on the darker elements of the story... -
You have to love a book that your parents buy for you as a child, simply as a reading tool to convince you that you need to pick up your room. It had varying degrees of success with me personally.
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I read this to my daughter this evening, and decided it was terrifying.
There’s a lot of judgement in the early MR MEN books. Mr Greedy is taught not to be greedy; Mr Nosey not to be nosey; and Mr Tickle not to tickle non-consenting parties. But none of them compare to the horror Mr Messy endures.
Out for a walk one day, Mr Messy encounters two men (and they are men, rather than cartoonish shapes) named Mr Neat and Mr Tidy. One wears a white suit and one a dark suit.
They push Mr Messy into their van, and drive him to his house. Once inside his home, they forcibly tidy up and remove everything which shows the character of its owner. Then they set to work on Mr Messy. They wash, brush, clean, scrub and comb him, until he looks in the mirror and doesn’t recognise himself anymore. The story ends with him saying he’ll have to get a new name.
So, the plot of this book is:
Man goes out for a walk, encounters two strangers who kidnap him, take him to his house and tear it apart, before completely stripping him of his identity. And the reason they do this? For no other reason than he happens to chance upon them.
Horrible, no?
As a horror author I’m always looking for new ideas, and children’s books of course go to some terrible places. But I did think I’d get more from The Brothers Grimm than Roger Hargreaves. -
La série de livres Monsieur Madame a bercé mon enfance !
Très chouette à lire et à relire 😁 -
I absolutely loved these Mr Men and Little Miss books. I remember getting them from my granny every week. There was so much from these simple characters, I remember filling my little bookshelf with all these books making sure I had got them all in right order. I wish I still had these books but somehow most of them got lost with many house moves or my mum gave the rest away. If I ever have kids, I will make sure they get the chance to experience these wonderful, colourful books.
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I really enjoy the complexity of the writing In the Rodger Hargreaves books and Mr Messy is no exception! I love the way that 'old skool' books were written, a style that isn't seen in newer books. I think Mr Messy is a good place to start for the Mr Men series and I find myself reading it to both my older and younger children. The illustrations are bold and recognisable which make it enjoyable at every level.
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I read the Mr. men and LIttle Miss books when I was a kid, but a recent trip to London rekindled my love of this classic series. Mr. Messy literally makes me cringe, as I am a bit of a clean freak. The other characters in the book, Mr. Tidy and Mr. Neat are much more my speed! The adult in me loved watching the disaster of Mr. Messy gradually transform in something neat and tidy.
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The 'Mr Men' and 'Little Miss' books are so simple yet so effective. I love the way that all the characters are linked and how characters pop up in other stories!
The books are great for encouraging young children to read because they are interesting, have a variety of simple language and are short enough that young children don't get bored! Children love collecting all the characters too. -
Ah, Mr Men and Little Miss, how wonderful you are!
These books made up so much of my childhood. No matter what I would go ahead and pick one up. I worked my way through them all a couple of times. Each one has a wonderful story for the child to engage with, each character being fun to read.
Everyone has a bias for their favourite character, yet every book is delightful. -
I don't know how Mr Neat keeps his white suit so clean, especially while cleaning Mr Messy's house. I also like it when Mr Messy goes from looking like a wad of pink string to a lump of pink bubble gum!
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this book is the koolest.
its great for little kids. really for any1 -
I definitely relate to Mr. Messy.
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Can Mr. Messy clean up his act?
This one reminds me of my sister. -
Despite being a bedtime regular of ours the kids don't appear to have taken the message to heart and still prefer to live in abject squalor.
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Yes, I read all of these as a kid. I'll be here all day folks
