The Gift of Nothing

Picture book, 56 pages. Published in 2005 by Little Brown Books for Young People.

Recap & Review

Mooch wants to buy a gift for his friend, Earl. But what do you get a dog who has it all? I love this charming exploration of finding nothing and everything with a friend.  The simplicity of text and illustrations are powerful without overwhelming a child.

Parents' Simplicity Credo:
Love People & Admire Our Differences

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Learning Suggestions

Family Read Aloud Time
A perfect little book for read aloud time; the pictures are as eloquent as the text. Sometimes nothing is exactly what is needed and we do well to share this with our kiddos.

Learning at Home
SimplyKinder offers some very good Simple Writing and Drawing Activities to accompany this book with free printables.

Classroom Options
The Gift of Nothing is an exquisite choice to use for a discussion about the concept of nothing, as well as friendship. Teaching Philosophy has a good Discussion Guide for K - 5th grades.

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Patrick McDonnell

McDonnell is a cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip Mutts. He is the author/illustrator of 10 picture books including the Caldecott Award winning Me...Jane, as well as Heart to Heart written with His Holiness The Dalai Lama to be published later in 2022.

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