What do you give the dog who has everything? For Mooch the cat it’s a difficult question because he wants to give his friend Earl a gift. Then he hits on the perfect solution: nothing! But finding nothing is quite a challenge. Even though he hears “There’s nothing on TV” or “There’s nothing to do” a lot, it seems there’s always something on TV, and everybody is always doing something. Shopping for nothing leads him to far too many somethings. Discouraged, Mooch goes home and lies quietly on his pillow. And that’s when he finally finds what he was looking for. He wraps nothing up in a box, and then a bigger box, because “Earl deserves more than this.” And Earl understands perfectly when he opens the box and Mooch explains that there’s “Nothing . . . but me and you.” Everything about Patrick McDonell’s sweetly funny story underscores the idea that less is more, especially when it means slowing down to enjoy each moment along with whatever, or whoever, it brings. The intimately sized book features spare black-and-white line drawings softly accented with red. (Ages 5–9)

What can Mooch the cat give Earl the dog when Earl has everything? The answer, of course, is nothing. This simple picture book story features characters from McDonnell's popular comic strip, "Mutts." Illustrations.