Product Description

DESCRIPTION: 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

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53547 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 56 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780316114882
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

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.

Review
'Mutts is one of the best comic strips of all time' - Charles Schulz (Peanuts) 'Smart, funny, brilliantly drawn and full of heart' - Matt Groening (The Simpsons)

Customer Reviews

Spare, lovely, moving as a classic fable
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!

Friendly and Fun
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

The Gift of Nothing
What a special little book. Everyone I have showed it to as gotten a really special feeling from it.
I will treasure it.