Nothing

Written by Jon Agee

Narrated by George Newbern

Otis has an antique shop crammed to the gills with stuff. So he's delighted when someone comes in and buys it all. Next day, Suzie Gump arrives, the shop is empty, full of nothing, and Suzy loves it-and takes it all. Suzie has set a trend, and soon everybody is craving nothing-the stores are full of it. It's only when there's not even a towel for drying off after a bath that Suzie realizes she may have gone a bit too far.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamscape Media Audio
• Release date: Dec 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781633795068

Jon Agee

Jon Agee is the author/illustrator of The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau (an ALA Notable), The Return of Freddy Legrand (an SLJ Best Book of 1992), and Dmitri the Astronaut, each chosen by The New York Times as one of the ten best picture books of the year. He has also created five books of wordplay, among them Go Hang a Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog! He lives in New York City.

Reviews for Nothing

[matthewbloome · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story of a man who sells nothing is very nicely told. I enjoyed the entire thing. All very nicely written. The audience that I read it to enjoyed it quite a lot. Another nice book in a collection of Agee stories.

[ghelmus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I find this book so incredibly clever! I would have never expected an entire picture book to be written off of a store clerk telling a wealthy customer that he has "nothing" to offer. This woman then demands that she have all the nothing he can offer. The story also provides a humorous perspective on consumerism and demand. Once this woman parades her "nothing" around town, everybody blindly follows suit. It's a smart, funny, and original story.

[mariekagreene · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A funny little story that could help to start some very interesting discussions about material wealth and necessity, but also about supply and demand. Thought provoking with colorful illustrations.

[mdrumgold_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It all started when Ms. Suzie Gump stepped in the shop and asked, What's for sale?" He replied, "Nothing", and what does Ms. Gump say? "I'll take it!" Before long, the whole town wants, nothing. What can the people do with nothing?

[jill5barrington · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The richest woman in town asks a store owner to sell nothing to her; however the store owner is confused because she wants to pay him for nothing. A trend begins after the first customer is so pleased by buying nothing. The richest woman later returns to buy something from the same store owner.

[mrcmyoung · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Shopkeeper Otis is surprised to find that he can literally sell nothing to Suzie Gump, the richest lady in town who loves to show that she can throw her money around. Soon the fad catches on and customers everywhere are buying nothing. This is a monkey-see, monkey-do parody of consumerism that I felt could have gone deeper.

[sharty_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book takes a critical look at consumerism as Mrs. Gump, the wealthy woman willing to buy nothing is decked out in elaborate clothes as is Tubby Portobello at the end when the book comes full circle and he decides to try to buy nothing. Everyone else in town, who follow the lead of Mrs. Gump, is dressed simply and are mindlessly following the trend. This book makes a statement about following trends and independent thinking.

[iclairei · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Story of Otis, the owner of an antique shop, and what happens when he sells nothing to a rich lady. The fad catches on and soon everyone in town wants to buy nothing. The book is funny, poking fun at rich people and consumers in general

[jscheper_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an interesting story about buying nothing. It starts at Otis's antique store. He had sold his last antique when Suzi Gump, the richest lady in town, came in and asked what was for sale. When Otis said "nothing" she said "how much do you want for it?". This starts the whole town following in Ms. Gump's footsteps. The illustrations are large and simple. The color fills almost every page. The story is silly and fun and the illustrations add to the story. This is a great book about Nothing.

[rsamet_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This picture book, written and illustrated by Jon Agee, tells the humorous story of how a misunderstanding between a rich woman and a shopkeeper starts a fad that sweeps up the whole town. The characters are more like characatures sketched by Agee to represent the spoiled rich trendsetters, the shopkeepers willing to do anything to make a profit, and the rest of the townspeople who just follow the crowd. The illustrations are large, and have a bold graphic quality that is striking and humorous. Set in a generic American town, this story could really take place anywhere, so long as the town has no people of color residing in it; even Susie's little dog is white. Despite its potential, this humorous story doesn't really drive home the moral that the crowd is not always wise. It opts instead for a funny ending without much resolution of the problem.

[kidlit9 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Otis sells out of antiques, buying nothing becomes the biggest rage, until people literally have nothing, and have to buy something.

[destinymbruner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The richest lady in town walks into a shop and pays $300 for nothing. The whole town starts selling nothing and pretty soon people get rid of their possessions to make room for nothing. When the rich lady realizes she has nothing, she goes back to the shop to buy everything. This is a humorous book that could be used to introduce lessons on consumerism or trends in economy.