Nothing [Hardcover]

Jon Agee (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Otis has an antique shop crammed to the gills with stuff. So he's delighted when someone comes in and buys it all. Next day, Suzie Gump arrives, the shop is empty, full of nothing, and Suzy loves it—and takes it all. Suzie has set a trend, and soon everybody is craving nothing—the stores are full of it. It's only when there's not even a towel for drying off after a bath that Suzie realizes she may have gone a bit too far. Funny and silly, this is another solid entry by Agee.  

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Money for nothing? Certainly—that's the premise of Agee's (Terrific) wry story of desire and excess. Antiques dealer Otis has sold all his wares and is sweeping his bare floor when Suzie Gump, the richest lady in town, strolls in, dressed to the nines in a gaudy pink pantsuit and walking a fashionable purse-size dog. Now, what's for sale? Suzie asks. After Otis glances around the empty store and says, Uh, nothing, Suzie writes a fat check for it. With misgivings, but believing that the customer is always right, Otis puts nothing in the trunk of her waiting car. Suzie returns the next day to crow, Nothing is wonderful!... I must have more! When Otis decides he can't in good conscience sell her more nothing, the vendors next door are more than willing, and crowds soon flock to these and numerous other stores that pop up to sell designer, discount and imported nothing. (Maybe there really was something to nothing, muses the narrator about the improbable shopping frenzy.) Fortunately for secondhand salesman Otis, in order to make room for nothing, they had to get rid of something. His shop is soon brimming with unwanted household objects and the cycle reverses. In illustrations that possess a timeless air, Agee contrasts cluttered, patterned spaces with airy rooms, outlines chunky, geometric areas with firm charcoal lines and tints broad surfaces with transparent watercolor wash. Whether enjoying this Zen-like book for the wacky conceit or the consumer critique, readers will readily recognize that the emperor has no clothes; this timely parable is certainly something worth having. All ages. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In a tale that brings to mind "The Emperor's New Clothes," Otis is about to close his shop, having sold his last antique, when a last-minute customer arrives. He tells her there is "nothing" for sale, but she insists she must have this "nothing." Remembering that the customer is always right, Otis makes the sale. Then all of the stores in town start selling "nothing," and everyone is in a frenzy to buy it. "In less than a week, everybody had plenty of it." In the meantime, Otis' shop has been replenished, only to be emptied when his original customer buys everything to fill up her nothingness. Otis breaks the cycle when it threatens to repeat itself. Cartoon illustrations set down in strong lines and colored with a soft palette make even the chaotic scenes seem uncluttered. Children will appreciate the foibles of people made foolish in their rush to have the latest thing (and, perhaps, see parallels in their own lives) in this satire on consumer-driven culture and mob mentality. Enos, Randall

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786836946
• ISBN-13: 978-0786836949
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #989,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, August 15, 2008

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nothing (Hardcover)

One of the most popular clichés in economics is "there's no such thing as a free lunch," with the implication that you cannot get something for nothing. Jon Agee's clever book turns this notion upside down when the richest lady in town walks into Otis's empty antiques shop at closing time and buys nothing for something. Amazed that this wealthy woman who has everything would pay $300 for nothing, the neighboring merchants quickly change their signs and their sales pitches - I have the finest in nothing! I sell nothing from China! - and the odd purchase sets off a buying craze. Nothing is ingenious in the way it parodies herd behavior in consumer shopping patterns at a level that young children will understand and enjoy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Compares, December 9, 2010

By 

E. Kennen (Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nothing (Hardcover)

Jon Agee is a very entertaining writer/author, but this book takes the cake. A humble antiques dealer is all out of inventory, when in comes the richest lady in town. There's nothing to be sold, but when you have everything, nothing is an intreguing concept. So the lady insists on paying top dollar for nothing, and thus begins a craze that upends the town.

"Nothing" is a fantastic, laugh-out-loud book for little kids and their parents. But why stop there? I would recommend this book as a reading assignment for Econ or Business students, all the way from elementary school to college. ["What happened? Why did it happen? What parallels do you see in real life? What's the lesson for business owners? What's the policy lesson?" etc., etc.] Anyone's whose seen their stock portafolio double, then half overnight will appreciate this book -- but don't get me wrong, it's absolutely the type of picture book that will have your four-year-old in stitches [while learning about an interesting concept].

5.0 out of 5 stars My 3 year-old LOVES this book!, November 23, 2010

By 

WebAlien (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nothing (Hardcover)

A very smart concept, told in a way that makes kids think. It was my son's favorite for several months, and unlike many other kids' stories, I didn't mind reading this book over and over again. I love the illustrations too.