Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
New York : Coward-McCann, Inc., c1941.
Description
Left alone when his two visible brothers are chosen as pets by a little girl and boy, an invisible puppy tries to find a way to become a dog that everyone can see and love.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Treeseed
March 11th is the birthday of a unique and talented children's book author and illustrator whose works I count among the best ever created for children. To celebrate Wanda Gág I want to share with you one of her many delightful books, Nothing At All.
This book is a Fesler-Lampert Minnesota
You may already be familiar with her work due to her Newbery Honor Book, Millions of Cats and if so you will not be surprised to see in this book a couple of the familiar double-page spreads which she pioneered and also the familiar hand-lettered text executed by her brother and popularized by Wanda.
First published in 1941, Nothing At All is illustrated in pen and ink and is printed in four color with orange and olive green being the main colors. To me the artwork in it exhibits an art nouveau flavor. The publishers suggest a readership of 4-8 year olds and perhaps in 1941 that would have been the case. Today I think it will attract a narrower readership of perhaps 4-6. I've tried it out on almost every 4 year old that's ever crossed my path and it has never failed to please.
It is a short and simple tale. There are pictures on almost every page which helps to hold the interest of a child and the few pages that have only text on them are spaced out well enough that they don't make the story lag at all.
Nothing At All is about a little dog who goes by the name of Nothing-at-all. He is one of three puppies who have been forgotten on an old deserted farmstead. His brother Pointy has pointed ears like a shepherd and his brother Curly has curly ears like a spaniel. No one knows what kind of ears Nothing-at-all has because he is...invisible! Other than that curious fact he is like any other normal puppy.
One day Pointy and Curly are discovered by a little girl and boy and are adopted and taken to a new home. Since no one can see him, Nothing-at-all hurries to catch up but gets left in the dust. He meets up with a Jackdaw who tells him about a chapter in the Book of Magic called Nothingness and Somethingness. (I can attest that most witches know that Jackdaws are magical creatures and apparently Wanda Gág knew this, too.) Anyway, the Jackdaw teaches the invisible puppy a magic chant and gives him the formula for a magical working that might give him more substance. I encourage you to find out on your own how the magic works...but if you've ever seen a dog chasing its own tail you will now realize you have seen part of the process in action.
I love this book because it is silly and unusual and imaginative and endearing. It has characters that will be new to a child and will excite their imaginations. The story moves along quickly and holds the attention of small children. The artwork is engaging and fun. Please check it out with a child you love. Wanda's work deserves many happy returns.
Don't miss her other books:
The ABC Bunny
Gone Is Gone or the Story of the Man Who Wanted To Do Housework
The Funny Thing
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Millions of Cats
This book is a Fesler-Lampert Minnesota
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Heritage Book Series selection which means that it fits the stated mission of Fesler-Lampert, "To publish significant books that contribute to our understanding and appreciation of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest." Ms. Gág comes from Bohemian and Czechoslovakian roots and was born and raised in New Ulm, Minnesota. You may already be familiar with her work due to her Newbery Honor Book, Millions of Cats and if so you will not be surprised to see in this book a couple of the familiar double-page spreads which she pioneered and also the familiar hand-lettered text executed by her brother and popularized by Wanda.
First published in 1941, Nothing At All is illustrated in pen and ink and is printed in four color with orange and olive green being the main colors. To me the artwork in it exhibits an art nouveau flavor. The publishers suggest a readership of 4-8 year olds and perhaps in 1941 that would have been the case. Today I think it will attract a narrower readership of perhaps 4-6. I've tried it out on almost every 4 year old that's ever crossed my path and it has never failed to please.
It is a short and simple tale. There are pictures on almost every page which helps to hold the interest of a child and the few pages that have only text on them are spaced out well enough that they don't make the story lag at all.
Nothing At All is about a little dog who goes by the name of Nothing-at-all. He is one of three puppies who have been forgotten on an old deserted farmstead. His brother Pointy has pointed ears like a shepherd and his brother Curly has curly ears like a spaniel. No one knows what kind of ears Nothing-at-all has because he is...invisible! Other than that curious fact he is like any other normal puppy.
One day Pointy and Curly are discovered by a little girl and boy and are adopted and taken to a new home. Since no one can see him, Nothing-at-all hurries to catch up but gets left in the dust. He meets up with a Jackdaw who tells him about a chapter in the Book of Magic called Nothingness and Somethingness. (I can attest that most witches know that Jackdaws are magical creatures and apparently Wanda Gág knew this, too.) Anyway, the Jackdaw teaches the invisible puppy a magic chant and gives him the formula for a magical working that might give him more substance. I encourage you to find out on your own how the magic works...but if you've ever seen a dog chasing its own tail you will now realize you have seen part of the process in action.
I love this book because it is silly and unusual and imaginative and endearing. It has characters that will be new to a child and will excite their imaginations. The story moves along quickly and holds the attention of small children. The artwork is engaging and fun. Please check it out with a child you love. Wanda's work deserves many happy returns.
Don't miss her other books:
The ABC Bunny
Gone Is Gone or the Story of the Man Who Wanted To Do Housework
The Funny Thing
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Millions of Cats
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LibraryThing member marietybur
Classic story of three orphan puppies forgotten in three kennels. One of the puppies was invisible. Problems begin when two children adopt the two visible puppies, but don't know about Nothing-At-All. The story has unmistakeable artwork and a great ending by Wanda Gag.
LibraryThing member ilovezeppe
Cute story of a dog that was Nothing At All, and literally that. Illustrations are beautiful. Great story
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Having explored the feline world in her iconic fairy-tale Millions of Cats, Newbery and Caldecott honoree Wanda Gág turns to the world of dogs in this charming story of "Nothing At All." Although just as much a puppy as his two brothers, Pointy and Curly, Nothing At All is invisible, which leads
Originally published in 1941, and chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1942 - the other titles chosen that year include An American ABC, Paddle-to-the-Sea and In My Mother's House - Gág's delightful book joins the classic orphaned/abandoned animal story to one involving a magical quest, producing something that feels very much like an original fairy-tale. Her illustrations, done in lithographs that have been colored in, are simply adorable, capturing all the charm of the little puppies. I particularly liked the fact that the dogs' individual kennels reflected their ear shape, which was in turn reflected in their names. Nothing At All is just a sweet little tale, one I would recommend to young dog lovers, to fairy-tale enthusiasts, and to fans of Wanda Gág's artwork.
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to problems when a little boy and girl arrive at the dogs' long-forgotten kennel (on a long-forgotten farm) and adopt Pointy and Curly, promising them all manner of wonderful things, but leave Nothing At All behind. Determined to rejoin his brothers and to have a home as well, Nothing At All follows the advice of a helpful jackdaw, who gives him a magical spell that will make him visible.Originally published in 1941, and chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1942 - the other titles chosen that year include An American ABC, Paddle-to-the-Sea and In My Mother's House - Gág's delightful book joins the classic orphaned/abandoned animal story to one involving a magical quest, producing something that feels very much like an original fairy-tale. Her illustrations, done in lithographs that have been colored in, are simply adorable, capturing all the charm of the little puppies. I particularly liked the fact that the dogs' individual kennels reflected their ear shape, which was in turn reflected in their names. Nothing At All is just a sweet little tale, one I would recommend to young dog lovers, to fairy-tale enthusiasts, and to fans of Wanda Gág's artwork.
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LibraryThing member Lisa2013
I love dog books! Give me Harry the Dirty Dog any day! Well I liked this. Sweet text heavy story and sweet small illustrations. I think I’d have loved it when I was a kid. But reading it now as an adult (and I don’t remember reading it when I was young or having it read to me) I didn’t feel
3-1/2 stars
Read on Open Library.
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enchanted. The way the invisible dog became visible seemed odd to me and I really liked the illustrations and I’m sure I’d have liked the story when I was young. I liked the story but not that much. Some of my GR friends have really liked this. Off to read/reread some more reviews…3-1/2 stars
Read on Open Library.
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Awards
Caldecott Medal (Honor Book — 1942)
Language
Original publication date
1941
Physical description
25 cm
ISBN
0698302648 / 9780698302648