The Gift of Nothing

by Patrick McDonnell

Overview

Mooch the cat desperately wants to find a gift for his friend Earl the dog, but Earl already has everything. "What do you give a guy who has everything?" Mooch wonders. The answer, of course, is nothing!

This simple story features characters from Patrick McDonnell's popular comic strip, Mutts, and has the same depth, charm, and heart that he gives to his daily readers. With delightfully spare illustrations and text, this book has all the makings of a longtime classic, perfect for gift-giving all year round.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316114882
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/05/2005
Series:	Christmas Series
Pages:	56
Product dimensions:	7.15(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Patrick McDonnell is the author and illustrator of Tek: The Modern Cave Boy, Thank You and Good Night, A Perfectly Messed-Up Story, The Monsters' Monster, and Me...Jane, a Caldecott Honor Book. He is also the creator of the internationally syndicated comic strip Mutts, which inspired his picture books The Gift of Nothing, Hug Time, and others. He lives in New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

A simple and divine tribute to friendship, this tome from Mutts creator Patrick McDonnell introduces us to Mooch, a cat who wants to give his doggy pal, Earl, a gift. The trouble is, Earl has everything, so Mooch decides to give him the perfect present -- nothing. Confused? Don’t be: Your heart will be as touched as Earl’s in this thoughtful picture book that sails above other friendship books and is an ideal gift for the holidays, birthdays, or other occasions.

bn.com

A mellow paean to anti-materialism that should ideally be handed out now, before holiday gift mania really kicks in. Spare drawings done in black, white and a seasonal touch of red reinforce the Zen-inspired idea that less is more.
—The Washington Post

Elizabeth Ward

The stars of the Mutts comic strip, Mooch the cat and his canine friend, Earl, break out of the Sunday funnies into the picture book world. McDonnell applies his spare style, sketching his cheeky characters with only a few deliberate lines. Each has a distinctive feature-Mooch's red ellipse-shaped nose, Earl's Princess Leia ears-that makes them instantly endearing. With plain backgrounds, a limited palette and a small square trim size, the book looks like a blown-up cartoon strip (even the pages have a newspaper-like grittiness). But the story has more depth than the minimalist visuals would suggest. Here, Mooch searches for the perfect gift for Earl. "What do you get someone who has everything?" he wonders. (Earl is the proud owner of a bowl, bed and chewy toy.) Mooch mulls it over (red and black dots and bubbles indicate his deep thinking) and comes up with "Nothing! He would give Earl the gift of nothing." But where to find nothing? Mooch tries shopping (because "Millie came home from the store and said, `There was nothing to buy!' "). But alas, "nothing was not for sale." How he solves the problem is pure delight, reminding young readers that the greatest gift is friendship, not things. Both Mutts fans and newcomers will appreciate McDonnell's clever wordplay and lovable characters, who prove that nothing can be everything. All ages. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1-4-This story features characters from McDonnell's comic strip "Mutts." Mooch (a cat) wants to give Earl (a dog) a gift, but he already has a bowl, a bed, and even a chewy toy. In fact, "he [has] it ALL." In a flash of inspiration, Mooch decides to give him nothing, and sets out to find it. Though the kids say there is "nothing to do," they always seem to be doing something. And even though Millie says "there [is] nothing to buy," Mooch finds plenty in the stores. In the end, he wraps a big box with nothing in it and presents it to his friend. "There's nothing here," says Earl. "Nothing-but me and you," Mooch replies. And that's the point. The text is minimal and the small cartoon drawings are executed in black and white with touches of red and surrounded by plenty of white space. As Mooch ponders over his dilemma, he is engulfed by question marks. The picture of the two friends sitting wrapped paw-in-paw as they enjoy "nothing and everything" is charming. A fine vehicle for a one-on-one discussion of the meaning of friendship and gift-giving.-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Fresh from the comic-strip panels of Mutts, Mooch the cat doesn't know what to get his best friend Earl the dog on a certain "special day." Earl has everything: dish, chewy toy and a bed. Then inspiration strikes. "Nothing" is the perfect gift for someone with everything . . . but where to find it? Mooch has heard his people say there's "nothing" on TV-but something's always on. He hears there's "nothing" at the stores-but there's plenty of everything. After a moment of Kitty Zen, Mooch wraps up a big empty box and presents it to Earl. " 'There's nothing here,' said Earl. / 'Yesh!' said Mooch. 'Nothing . . . / but me and you.' " And the two of them enjoy nothing-and everything-together. A perfect meditation on gift giving and friendship, this is a great present for the Type-A hoarder in your life. It will do double duty as a conversation starter for older kids at storytime. (Picture book. 5+)

Kirkus Reviews