Mr. Particular: The World’s Choosiest Champion!
Written and Illustrated by Jason Kirschner
Sterling Children’s Books    5/10/2016
978-1-4549-1818-9
40 pages      Ages 4—8

Children’s Book of the Month Club Selection

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“MEET MR. PARTICULAR—

“—the world’s choosiest champion! This superhero is super picky: He says NO to gross green things, tucked-in shirts, humming, anything that smells like coconut, and especially stuff that’s squishy. But when his friends in the Super-Duper Group finally get fed up with his fussiness, can Mr. Particular prove that even the super-squeamish can save the day?” [inside jacket]

Review
Mr. Particular is a superhero. He can lift minivans over his head and outrun a train . . . the zoo’s train. Mr. Particular is also very particular. He must use ketchup with all non-desserts, refuses to tuck his shirt in, hates the smell of coconut, and the sound of humming. But mostly, Mr. Particular dislikes mud (too squishy) and anything green (no exceptions). As part of the Super-Duper Group of superheroes, Mr. Particular has been letting his comrades down. Several missions fail, all because of Mr. Particular. Robotosaur hums, and thus goes free. Kick’ Chicken destroys the Castle of Sandboxica. It was sand, and squishy. Then Dr. Slimyhands wins the fight that never occurred, all because he is green.

The Super-Duper Group calls an emergency meeting and, well, actually KICK. OUT. MR. PARTICULAR. This leaves Mr. Particular with Superpooper, his diaper-clad sibling. Mr. Particular knows there is only one thing he can do . . . be less fussy. And he tries, and tries, and tries again, to no avail. Mr. Particular is simply too particular. Then one day, Mr. Particular looks out his window where his friends are playing. Atomic Bear is in danger! He hangs by his suspenders from a tree, over a large area of slimy, squishy mud. And no one is helping. Can Mr. Particular get over his no-mud fussiness and save Atomic Bear? And why isn’t Daring Duck helping Atomic Bear?

Mr. Particular, told in comic book form, is a young boy with more than a few particularities. His group, The Super-Duper Group includes himself, Daring Duck, and Atomic Bear. On the other side are the villains. They are Robotosaur, a combination robot and dinosaur; Kickin’ Chicken, who looks more like a Spartan than a chicken; and Dr. Slimyhands, a medical doctor covered in green slime. Kirschner only refers to the children by their code names. This allows any child to become one of these characters. A neat way of bringing the child into the story, so he or she can make it their own. (There are three girls and three boys in this group of playmates.)

The colorful illustrations are quite detailed. Drawn first on paper, using colored pencils, each spread was then digitized and colored. The result is spreads with muted colors. It works. Kirschner has created picture book characters with an infinite possibility of stories. The comic book format gives younger children what might be their first comics. Check out the end pages. Filled with toys and gimmicks similar to 1950s and 1960s comic book classifieds. Many of the items used in the story can be “bought” from these ads including Mr. Particular’s bomber hat.

Mr. Particular is a superhero for younger children. The story is fun to read aloud and the illustrations enhance the story with its details. Young kids will love the format and the craziness, which occurs when a villain attacks. But there is a decisive factor our hero, Mr. Particular, will not, cannot help. Every child has a fear that can hold him or her back. It is Mr. Particular’s faults, his pickiness, his fuss-abilities, keeping him from fulfilling his duty. Like all wonderfully offbeat characters, Mr. Particular faces his fear and changes by stories end. Or is it the end?

MR. PARTICULAR, THE WORLD’S CHOOSIEST CHAMPION! Text and illustrations copyright © 2016 by Jason Kirschner. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Sterling Children’s Books, New York, NY.

Amazon—Book Depository—Indie Books. 

Find Mr. Particular on Goodreads HERE.w
Find Super-Duper Stuff (downloadables)  HERE.
.          .What Hero Would You Be?
.          .Trading Cards

Jason Kirschner:  http://www.jasonkirschner.com/
Follow on Twitter          @jason_kirschner
Illustrator’s Blog:  http://drawntopicturebooks.blogspot.com/2016/02/jason-kirschner-www.html

Sterling Children’s Books:  http://www.sterlingpublishing.com/childrens-books.html
Follow on Twitter          @SterlingBooks

Sterling Children’s Books is an imprint of Sterling Publishing Company.

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MR. PARTICULAR, THE WORLD’S CHOOSIEST CHAMPION! Illustrations © 2016 by Jason Kirschner. Used by permission of Sterling Children’s Books.

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Full Disclosure: Mr. Particular, the World’s Choosiest Champion! by Jason Kirschner, and received from Sterling Children’s Books, (an imprint of Sterling Publishing Company), is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”