Roger Hargreaves’s Followers (216)

More followers…

Roger Hargreaves

Born

in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, The United Kingdom

May 09, 1935

Died

September 11, 1988

edit data

Charles Roger Hargreaves (9 May 1935 – 11 September 1988) was an English author and illustrator of children's books, notably the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, intended for very young readers. He is Britain's third best-selling author, having sold more than 100 million books.

Hargreaves was born in a private hospital at 201 Bath Road, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, England, to Alfred Reginald and Ethel Mary Hargreaves, and grew up in High Lees, 703 Halifax Road, also in Cleckheaton, outside of which there now is a commemorative plaque. He spent a year working in his father's laundry and dry-cleaning business before starting out in advertising. But his original ambition was to be a cartoonist; and, in 1971, while he was working as the creative Charles Roger Hargreaves (9 May 1935 – 11 September 1988) was an English author and illustrator of children's books, notably the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, intended for very young readers. He is Britain's third best-selling author, having sold more than 100 million books.

Hargreaves was born in a private hospital at 201 Bath Road, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, England, to Alfred Reginald and Ethel Mary Hargreaves, and grew up in High Lees, 703 Halifax Road, also in Cleckheaton, outside of which there now is a commemorative plaque. He spent a year working in his father's laundry and dry-cleaning business before starting out in advertising. But his original ambition was to be a cartoonist; and, in 1971, while he was working as the creative director at a London firm, he wrote the first Mr. Men book, Mr. Tickle. He initially had difficulty finding a publisher; but, once he did, the books became an instant success, selling over one million copies within three years and spawning a BBC animated television series, narrated and voiced by Arthur Lowe.

By 1976, Hargreaves had quit his day job. In 1981, the Little Miss series of books began to appear. It, too, was made into a television series in 1983, which was narrated by John Alderton, who, with Pauline Collins, voiced the Men and Misses, respectively. Although Hargreaves wrote many other children's stories, including the Timbuctoo series of twenty-five books, John Mouse, and the Roundy and Squary books, he is best known for his 46 Mr. Men books and 33 Little Miss books.

With his wife, Christine, Hargreaves had four children: Adam, Giles, and twins Sophie and Amelia. The first of the Mr. Men characters is reported to have been created when Adam asked his father what a tickle looked like: Hargreaves drew a figure with a round orange body and long, rubbery arms, which became Mr. Tickle.

After Hargreaves died of a sudden stroke in 1988, Adam continued writing and drawing the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters in new stories. However, in April 2004, Christine sold the rights to the Mr. Men characters to the UK entertainment group Chorion, for £28 million. ...more

Combine Editions
Roger Hargreaves’s books

Average rating: 3.93 · 52,036 ratings · 2,798 reviews · 815 distinct works • Similar authors

	Mr. Tickle 3.95 avg rating — 4,014 ratings — published 1971 — 40 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Little Miss Bossy 4.02 avg rating — 2,015 ratings — published 1981 — 29 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mr. Messy 4.05 avg rating — 1,936 ratings — published 1972 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mr. Happy (Mr. Men, #3) 3.99 avg rating — 1,929 ratings — published 1971 — 49 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mr. Bump 4.03 avg rating — 1,711 ratings — published 1971 — 33 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Little Miss Sunshine 3.98 avg rating — 1,309 ratings — published 1981 — 37 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Little Miss Chatterbox 3.99 avg rating — 1,083 ratings — published 1980 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Little Miss Naughty 3.97 avg rating — 1,024 ratings — published 1981 — 34 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mr. Greedy 3.94 avg rating — 1,001 ratings — published 1971 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mr. Funny 3.92 avg rating — 960 ratings — published 1976 — 29 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Roger Hargreaves…

Series by Roger Hargreaves

Mr. Men (50 books)
by

Roger Hargreaves

3.94 avg rating — 30,250 ratings

Little Miss Books (40 books)
by

Roger Hargreaves

3.91 avg rating — 16,317 ratings

Mr Men for Grown Ups (6 books)
by

Roger Hargreaves (Creator),

Liz Bankes

Lizzie Daykin

Sarah Daykin (Illustrator)

4.17 avg rating — 241 ratings

Timbuctoo (13 books)
by

Roger Hargreaves

4.04 avg rating — 73 ratings

Hippo-Potto-Mouse Book (3 books)
by

Roger Hargreaves

4.38 avg rating — 13 ratings

More series by Roger Hargreaves…

Quotes by Roger Hargreaves

“There's a goose asleep in the rain!”
― Roger Hargreaves, Mr. Forgetful

12 likes

“Meow!" said the chicken.”
― Roger Hargreaves, Mr. Silly

tags: animals, silly-quotes

4 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Children's Books: Favorite Children's Series from Your Youth	165	236	Jul 25, 2012 02:53PM
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2321	691	Dec 28, 2012 03:29PM
Chicks On Lit: Title and Author Game	4056	1681	Apr 16, 2013 09:48AM
Women and Books: Member of the Month	377	71	May 04, 2013 10:49AM
The Next Best Boo...: The Title Game	20479	14165	May 30, 2013 12:53PM
Nothing But Readi...: B'dazzled Blue	274	231	Dec 18, 2013 05:33PM
All About Books: Heather's Reading Journey	17	32	May 21, 2014 12:35PM
Book Haven: Favorite Childhood Books	86	395	Jun 20, 2014 09:53AM

More…