Kirkus Reviews
A young superhero holds his team back due to his many aversions. Donning a cheery, apple-red cape, a shirt emblazoned with a scarlet "P," and an aviator's helmet, Mr. Particular may be a superhero, but he has a very precise litany of things he dislikes, including (but not limited to) tucked-in shirts, squishy mud, the smell of coconut, and humming. He fights alongside his teammates: the brown-socked, yellow-masked Atomic Bear and the striped-tights-wearing, pink-bespectacled Daring Duck. However, Mr. Particular's fussiness has been keeping him on the sidelines of their world-saving fun, and the team isn't happy. Exiled from the group, he's worried that he'll be stuck playing with the diaper-laden Super Pooper (his little brother). When he discovers Atomic Bear stuck in a tree above some superslimy mud and near a humming beehive (depicted as a wasps' nest), can Mr. Particular overcome his dislikes and save the day? Told in comic-book format with large, kinetic panels and a pleasantly muted palette, Kirschner's offering puts an accessible, even enjoyable spin on sensory aversions and adds dashes of giggle-worthy, slight potty humor to keep readers' interests piqued. While Mr. Particular is white, his team is fairly diverse racially as well as by gender. A tidily wrapped-up resolution shows even the most stickling superhero can muster the inner strength to do what must be done to save the day. A particularly appropriate tale just right for a choosy crowd. (Graphic picture book. 4-7)
School Library Journal
(Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)
K-Gr 2 A superhero faces his worst fears in this exuberant picture book. Mr. Particular is a top-notch superhero whose only weakness is his fussiness ("Mr. Particular liked things the way he liked themand only the way he liked them."). He hates humming, tucked-in shirts, and anything green, to name a few offenses. These quirks lead to a lot of frustration with his other friends in the Super-Duper Group because they often prevent him from saving the universe from bad guys. Eventually his colleagues have had enough of his finickiness, and they inform him that he is being kicked off the team. Mr. Particular tries to fix his weakness but just can't face any of his fears. Luckily, everything changes when a friend gets in trouble and needs Mr. Particular to save the day. The pencil and digital cartoon illustrations are a nice fit for this graphic novel-style picture book. VERDICT A general purchase for most collections, especially those with very exacting superheroes. Brooke Newberry, La Crosse Public Library, WI