Mr. Tickle

Mr. Tickle, by Roger Hargreaves, is one of a collection of 43 "Mr. Men." When I was a child I read these books for fun, as well as the Little Miss collection. What I found interesting upon rereading it was the fact that everything Mr. Tickle did caused trouble and danger. For example, when he tickled the teacher, it was rebellious and disrespectful. I was surprised that this book, which will teach children, included disrespectful acts like that. Mr. Tickle also tickled a policeman, causing a traffic jam, a postman, causing him to drop his mail, a grocer, causing all the fruit to roll away, and others. It was interesting how such a harmless joke became a rebellious prank. What I also thought was interesting were the pictures. Specifically the picture with the teacher. He was wearing a graduation cap. I can't figure out why but am assuming that it is to characterise him as educated and in the education system. I also want to comment on the language. Most of the diction was appropriate for the age level however, the occassional word such as "pandemonium" caused me to think twice. I hardly knew what that word meant and can't think of how I would describe it to a child. It's interesting that Hargreaves would use this term.