The Gift of Nothing [Hardcover]

Patrick McDonnell (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Christmas

What can Mooch the cat give Earl the dog when Earl has everything? The answer, of course, is nothing. This simple picture book story features characters from McDonnell's popular comic strip, "Mutts." Illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. 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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; First Edition first Printing edition (October 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031611488X
• ISBN-13: 978-0316114882
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 0.5 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patrick McDonnell is a New York Times best-selling author. He received the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award for Cartoonist of the Year in 1999, and Mutts was named Strip of the Year in 1997. A dedicated animal advocate and Genesis Award recipient, McDonnell regularly lends his talents to animal protection groups and issues, including the Humane Society of the United States, where he serves on the national board of directors. McDonnell was also recently elected to the board of directors of the Charles M. Schulz Museum. He is a native of New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spare, lovely, moving as a classic fable, September 26, 2005

By 

Martha H. Garvey "book author" (Hoboken, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gift of Nothing (Hardcover)

Whether you're a kid or an adult, or a dog or a cat, or a fan of "Mutts" or a newcomer, this book is going to grab you. What do you give your favorite dog pal when he has everything? Nothing. The cat's journey to find nothing reads to this child in an adult's body as both one of those funny Zen koan adventures...and a heartfelt exploration of friendship. McDonnell's color palate is especially interesting...he sticks to a simple combination of black and white and red, which makes the story all the stronger. Mutts, YESH!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Friendly and Fun, November 10, 2005

By 

zoomer (AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gift of Nothing (Hardcover)

weather you love Mutts, or never read it (like me) you will enjoy this book.
As a mom whose child became known as "the kid who has everything" (thanks to his grandma) even I myself have found it hard to pick out presents for him. this will be a christmas gift for my son, and I will ask his grandma to read it too him. This book is simple and cute with a great moral of how friendship is more important, that its the thought that counts, but it is done in a delightful way. This book had me laughing out loud when I read it and is a must by to gently remind kids to appreciate what they have

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gift of Nothing, January 30, 2006

By 

Helen H. Spillers "Chick" (Winston-Salem NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gift of Nothing (Hardcover)

What a special little book. Everyone I have showed it to as gotten a really special feeling from it.
I will treasure it.