London - First the Ladybird picture books, which helped generations of children learn to read, had a grown-up makeover.
The decidedly darker series of titles, ranging from The Hangover to The Mid-Life Crisis, were aimed squarely at adults with a sense of humour.
Now the Mr Men and Little Miss books, created by Roger Hargreaves in the Seventies, have inspired a parody series to entertain ‘kidults’.
Instead of Mr Happy, Mr Messy, Little Miss Sunshine and Little Miss Bossy, its characters embody rather more sophisticated personality traits.
Little Miss Overshare, for example, stars in a ‘heartwarming tell-all tale’ in which ‘she informs a senior citizen about her sex life, discusses her digestive system with her room-mate and chit-chats about her lady problems at the office water cooler’.
Meanwhile, Mr Selfie is so obsessed with photo opportunities that ‘he risks his job taking selfies at work. He risks his life taking selfies at the zoo. And whenever he feels romantic, he whips out his selfie stick’ . . . and takes a picture of himself.
The eight new titles by Dan Zevin (Three Rivers Press) also include Little Miss Passive-Aggressive, Mr Humblebrag - who’s guilty of false modesty - and Mr Emotionally Unavailable: ‘a Little Miss magnet with a big fear of commitment.’
Daily Mail