The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell

The Gift of Nothing Reviews

• 
  Mia

  I read this a long time ago, and today, as I was cleaning out and reorganising my bookshelf, I read it again.
  
  God, it's good.
  
  For a rather simply illustrated book with animal characters and not much going on, it packs a really incredible emotional punch- this thing made me cry. I think it's a book that many more people should read, especially now that we're nearing the holiday season; in a world of so much something, so many of us have forgotten the joy of nothing.
  
  This is a perfect, adorable, and heartwarming book.
• 
  Christine

  My child went shopping with me, and I found him walking around saying, "the latest this, the newest that, buy, sale, sale, buy; there is nothing to buy ..." And I realized the book had changed his life. For the better. Just a joy. And a must for every parent.
• 
  Manny

  Mooch the cat needs to find a birthday present for Earl the dog, who's already got everything. What's he going to do? He cunningly solves the problem by giving Earl nothing, wrapped up in a box with a pretty bow.
  
  It's cute, though if I were going to be pedantic I might complain that the basic joke was ripped off from
  Hurra för pappa Åberg!, which actually has a more elaborate version. But most likely Gunilla Bergström ripped it off in turn from Sophocles or one of those dudes. I can't believe that nobody before the twentieth century thought of this one.
• 
  Laura

  The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell is an adorable, heartwarming, *hug*-inspiring gem of a book!
  
  Mooch is on the hunt for that perfect gift for his best friend, Earl. But with simple, small, black-and-white-with-a-dash-of-color, hilariously expressive illustrations, Mr. McDonnell shows that some of the best gifts in life do not fit in a box.
  
  I highly recommend this sweet tale of friendship and love. My heart is still “awww-ing” all over the place! :)
  
  Thanks, Sonia!
  
  
  7/13/12
• 
  Ashley

  well even though im in 8th grade doesn't mean i cant read picture books! this book is so cute and the perfect christmas story to read to young readers. well Mooch is trying to get his best friend Erik a christmas gift but tells his self "how do i get someone something when they already have everything?" well he decides to get erik the gift of nothing! well find the book and read it for yourself to find out Mooch's adventures!
• 
  Randie D. Camp, M.S.

  Mooch wants to give his friend, Earl, the perfect gift but he has everything. What do you give the person who has everything? Simple, nothing. The illustrations are cute and simple allowing the message of friendship to be the star. Great book.
• 
  Cathrine

  :-) !
• 
  Brandy

  Adorable!
• 
  Dewi

  "What could you give to the person who has everything?" adalah premis dasar dari buku ini. Cerita dimulai di suatu hari yang spesial ketika Mooch, si kucing, pengen kasi kado untuk sahabatnya Earl-si anjing. Tapi apa yang bisa dikasi oleh Mooch untuk Earl yang sudah punya semuanya?
  
  Dan karenanya Mooch pun kepikiran untuk ngadoin Earl : "nothing". Masalahnya adalah "Di mana dia bisa menemukan nothing?"
  
  Mulailah dia mencari si "nothing" itu. Frank (majikannya) bilang "there's nothing on tv", tapi buat Mooch selalu ada sesuatu di tv. Istrinya Frank mengeluh gak ada apa-apa di toko, jadi Mooch pergi ke toko tapi ternyata ada banyak barang di toko.
  
  (ps : ternyata gak bisa upload slideshow di GR. Yo wis...sila cek ke sini buat yg penasaran sama artwork bukunya :
  http://www.photosnack.com/FDAC898F8D6...)
  
  Lalu di mana dan bagaimana Mooch akhirnya bisa ketemu "nothing"? Hehehe...baca sendiri ahh ;).
  
  Di antara tumpukan children books obral di Bras Basah, buku ini langsung menarik perhatian saya karena artwork-nya yang simpel dan bersih. Dengan permainan warna hitam, putih dan merah, tanpa tarikan garis yang ribet serta teks yang singkat, buku ini enak dan gampang banget dibaca oleh anak kecil dan orang dewasa. Kualitas artwork-nya emang gak perlu diragukan secara penulis adalah Patrick McDonnell, yang bikin comic strip Mutts yang beken itu.
  
  Mengenai storyline sendiri, seperti layaknya buku grafis setipe yang (menurut saya) semestinya-buat-anak-anak-tapi-bermakna-dalam, buku ini juga mengandung pesan moral dan sindiran halus. Kinda remind me with Shel Silverstein's books.
  
  Di buku ini, Patrick menyindir betapa kita suka mengeluhkan bahwa kita gak sedang "ngapa-ngapain". Familiar dengan kalimat-kalimat ini :
  "Ah gak ada apa-apa di TV. Gak asik nih kita nontonnya."
  atau
  "Kita gak ngapa-ngapain nih? Gak ke kebunnya Pak Tani buat nyuri timun? Boring ah."
  atau yang ini :
  "Ish...gak asik nih toko. Gak ada apa-apanya!"
  
  Padahal....masa iya sih gak ada? Ada kali ya. Di toko itu ada something kok, begitu pun di TV.
  Cuma saja kita sudah punya ekspektasi sendiri akan barang yang bisa kita dapat di toko tersebut atau acara yang mau kita tonton. Dan ketika kita mendapatkan "yang di bawah standar", maka kita pun mencapnya dengan "nothing".
  
  Mungkin, kalo aja kita mau mengecilkan ekspektasi sedikit dan menikmati apa yang ada, then we could find there is actually something in everything. Membaca usaha Mooch mencari "nothing" menyadarkan saya akan hal itu. Ah betapa saya kurang bersyukur pada fakta saya selalu punya "something" untuk dilakukan (atau dikeluhkan, tergantung kondisi) X).
  
  Oya..ada satu adegan menggelitik waktu Mooch udah menemukan "nothing" dan memberikannya ke Earl.
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  Hehehe....teringat betapa kita suka basa-basi kalo ditanya : "Mau dikasi apa?", lalu dijawab "Ah gak usahlah". So for once, kali ini si Earl beneran dapat nothing X).
  
  This book has a sweet ending. The kind of ending that warmed my heart and made me wanna say "awww".
  The kind of ending that made me think : instead of complaining about having nothing to do with my friends, I should have just enjoyed that.
  Us, doing nothing and just enjoying each other companion. Isn't that the good way to spend time?
  
  PS 1 : Pas lagi browsing, saya baru tahu ternyata ada yang jualan "nothing". Sayang Mooch gak nemuin barang ini di toko ya :))
  

  
  
  

  
  Barang ini dijual di
  Amazon seharga US$ 5. Ada yang berminat beli?
• 
  Ryan

  A solid message, but let's be honest here this was just to pad my stats.
• 
  Huda Fel

  There is something called "the gift of NOTHING"
  and definitely you wont know it till you read the book
  FANTASTIC
  cozy and intelligent "friendship" book
  I already have a list of ppl whom I want them to read it ;D
  
  في كل مرة يحتم علي أن أقدم هدية
  أجدني في حيرة
  :$ أما الآن أضحى كل شيء
  "سهلا"
  كتاب عن الصداقة
• 
  Doctor Sax

  It is great that author/illustrator Patrick McDonnell practices what he preaches in regards to animal advocacy. His books carry so many important messages concerning how animals enrich our lives. I also enjoy how he weaves guiding principles along with funny tales (tails) involving Earl & Mooch on how we as humans can coexist better with nature.
• 
  Nojood Alsudairi

  The best gift to give is the gift if nothing because it is hard to find.
  Thank you Huda for giving me the gift of nothing.
• 
  Carol Jen

  What a sweet little book about the best gift of all! Adorable illustrations... adding it to my "books to give as gifts" list.
• 
  Denise Tan

  One of my fave children's books <3
• 
  Marlyn

  A lovely reminder of "being together" is more important than things and places.
• 
  woody

  Most excellent book Diane! It brightened my day
• 
  Susan

  A work of genius in many ways. More of a picture book for teens and adults, a great gift. How many times do people tell us, “Don’t give me anything,”? This book is perfect. The gift in the story is an empty box. A gift of nothing. Nothing but friendship and love. I thought about what beautiful inscriptions could go inside the first page, bringing tears to the eyes of many a grandparent or best friend. I also thought about what innovative writing pieces students could create based on this unique little book. Patrick McDonnell draws the beloved comic strip “Mutts,” and those sweet characters are the stars of “The Gift if Nothing.” Read it aloud to younger kids, too. They will teach you as they always do.
• 
  nat

  My uncle used to read this book to me every Christmas Eve when I was a little kid. Now I read it to my little cousin although she gets bored most of the time and runs away because she’s 3 and gets easily distracted so I’m left to read it by myself. But I love this book so much it never gets old no matter how many times I’ve read it. It’s short and sweet. The illustrations are so cute and I love the wholesome message. The “who told him?” line cracks me up every time. It’s a perfect read during the holidays since it has the message of the importance of quality time with loved ones over gifts and material things. This book will always have a special place in my heart as one of my favorite childhood books❤️✨.
• 
  寿理 宮本

  Such a cute book! I know the art is a little bit of an acquired taste, since
  Mutts is drawn with a particularly simplistic style, but the heart of the book is adorable and wholesome!
  
  The gift isn't LITERALLY nothing, of course (er, spoiler), but a sort of appreciation of what we already have. Ironic, then, that this would be a gift someone ended up donating (as per the inscription to the prior owner). Well... it's the thought that counts?
  
  Absolutely recommended for fans of Mutts and/or anti-capitalism!
• 
  Pink

  A great short book with deep truths. The little details in the story the pictures are telling makes it more amusing.
  
  Also, my love language is definitely quality time and the message speaks loud and clear to me in this book. I would rather spend time with someone than receive a gift from them. I guess not all people are like that so I would be careful about getting certain people the gift of "nothing." Or maybe just get them this book so they might understand what to get you.
• 
  Viet Nam

  Received this book as a birthday gift from my girlfriend. My company was in a hard time, I spent days and nights with paper works, sheets of numbers, with partners and banks. I left no time for myself and closest people around me . This book is a life saver, helps me to rethink about the value of “moments”, especially “nothing moments”.
• 
  Tasia

  I would suggest this book for ages 5-8. This book follows the journey of one friend trying to find the perfect gift for his friend, but his friend already has everything. So, his friend gives him the gift of nothing. This book has themes of friendship, loyalty, persistence, and love.