by Moe Zilla

Created on: May 24, 2010

This funny story begins when a shopkeeper named Otis gets a weird visit from Suzie Gump, "the richest lady in town". She says "Goody, goody!" when she walks into his story, and then asks him what's on sale.

"Uh, nothing." replies the shopkeeper.

"How much do you want for it?" replies Suzie...

It's not only a funny plot twist, but the book delivers a real message. "I have a lot of things, but I've never had nothing," Suzie continues. "I'll pay you three hundred dollars!" The shopkeeper is baffled, until he remembers his father's slogan. "The customer is always right." So with both hands, he lifts up the nothing and carries it out to Suzie's car.

"'Thank you', said Suzie, and she handed him a check..."

I've always loved Jon Agee's book, with their parody plots and simple cartoon-like drawings of the characters. There's just a few shapes with bold outlines, but this time he fills them in with bright colors to give the book a playful tone. For example, the next day, Susie Gump returns wearing a silly multi-colored pant suit, saying "Nothing is wonderful! I must have more." And when Otis tries not to sell it to her, she says she can buy it someplace else.

"Yer in luck, miss," says one of Otis's competitors. "I have the finest in nothing." And he reveals a shop in his window that says "Wally's Delux Nothing."

"I have nothing imported," says another shopkeeper. "Nothing from Italy! Nothing from China!"

Soon all the people in town have heard about Ms. Gump's obsession, and they're curious to see what the fuss is about. Agee fills one page with four pictures of the line outside Wally's shop - growing longer and longer, until it's finally crowded with a throng of people, all hurrying to purchase Wally's nothing. "Soon the whole town was in a frenzy. Nothing sold like nothing before!"

This book may be one of the best "lesson" books ever, making fun of the worst excesses of consumerism - people spending money foolishly, on things they really, really don't need. And it gives Agee some very funny situations to draw. Soon people are dumping all their possessions out their windows, to make room for their new nothing. And Agee draws a bulldozer in the background, which is scooping the possessions up to be loaded into a yellow dump truck. The book was written in 2007, and it's got a message that's very hip and modern.

It's the perfect book for the day after Thanksgiving - which is, of course...buy nothing day.

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