The Gift of Nothing (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "It was a special day and Mooch wanted to give his best friend, Earl, a gift..." (more)

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

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (October 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031611488X
• ISBN-13: 978-0316114882
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #81,519 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 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)

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!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	coolslaw (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

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

9 of 9 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)

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