The Gift of Nothing

Patrick McDonnell is the creator of the beloved internationally syndicated comic strip MUTTS, which features the characters that star in five of his children's picture books: Just Like Heaven, Hug Time, South, Wag!, and The Gift of Nothing. He is also the creator of Me . . . Jane, a Caldecott Honor Book and a New York Times bestselling picture book biography of Dr. Jane Goodall, and has written and illustrated A Perfectly Messed-Up Story and the award-winning picture book Art. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Karen; their formerly feral cat, Not Ootie; and their adopted terrier, Amelie.