gift of nothing

This story features characters from Patrick 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.