Nothing - Hardcover

Mick Inkpen has been a bestselling children's author for over 25 years. He is one of today's most popular picture book author/illustrators and the famous creator of both Kipper and Wibbly Pig. Mick has won the Children's Book Award for Threadbear and the British Book Award twice, for Penguin Small and Lullabyhullaballoo. Kipper won a BAFTA for Best Animated Film.

PreSchool-Grade 2AA new baby is on the way and the family is moving to a bigger house. In the attic, the movers uncover an old stuffed toy. The little abandoned creature, newly conscious after having been squashed and forgotten for years, hears the men say, on catching sight of him, "Oh, it's nothing" and concludes that Nothing must be his name. As he wanders about trying to figure out where he belongs, Nothing meets various animals, and memories of his past begin to return in snatches. Eventually, a cat befriends him and carries him to the new house. Grandpa recognizes the toy as one of his childhood favorites and all ends happily. This is a charming tale in the tradition of The Velveteen Rabbit. The watercolor illustrations are full of interesting perspectives. A foldout page that depicts Nothing's transformation ("with the help of a good wash, some scraps of material...and some thread") back into a little cloth tabby cat is particularly endearing. The spirited prose moves along at a lively pace. However, the ending is quite complicated and may prove confusing to the young children for whom this book is intended. Because of the complex denouement, this fetching picture book is more suitable for one-to-one than group sharing.ASue Norris, Rye Free Reading Room, NY
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