Fred's Book Club: A Whole Lotta Nothing.

Welcome, readers! It's time for another Hump Day, which means an entry for our Humpback Writers, which also means I have to explain that the writers don't really have humps, but maybe you know that by now. Anyway, it's Christmas week, so we have another Christmas themed book, sort of. Also, I've been slapped with a bunch of paying work, so we have a lame short entry. And what could be better for a short entry than the gift of nothing?

Cartoon fans will know immediately that this is a book by Mutts creator Patrick McDonnell, and it features the strip's two main characters, Earl, the dog, and Mooch, the best-named cat in comics history. It's a Christmas gift-type book, published by Little, Brown in 2005, and indeed I got my copy as a gift. I'm a big fan of McDonnell's simple but evocative art, and have been since he was doing spot illustrations for Reader's Digest many years ago. Sure, he's a PETA guy and smushes into lots of left-wingness in his work, but I can overlook a multitude for a genuinely funny and charming strip.

This particular book is a simple story about Mooch's simple and common dilemma: What can he give his friend Earl? Earl already has a food bowl, a squeaky toy, and so on. 

Mooch ultimately decides that since Earl needs nothing, that's what he's going to get! And not just nothing, but a lot of it! 

How will Earl like his gift of nothing? Well, it would be a shame to give the story away. Rest assured that it's a happy ending in a true Christmas spirit. And get the book yourself, if you want to have a copy of a comic classic.

As I said, I've been a little short on time this week, and I am grateful I thought of this book to include in the book club. I have a lot of McDonnell's collections of comic strips, and there's always a lot to enjoy, but this is one of the first he wrote and drew that is a self-contained story. Happy Christmas season, and see you here tomorrow for New Year's Eve.