Patrick McDonnell: An Author Review

"The Funnies," "Sunday comics," and "Funny Pages" are all synonymous to an institution long since gone. No one hears of syndicated comic strips anymore, comic books are still and probably always will be a fixture, yet with the slow inevitable death of the printed newspapers far more than just written journalism suffers. However even if there are no funny pages or Sunday comics, one can still catch the adorable, hilarious and endearing characters of Patrick McDonnell's internationally syndicated comic MUTTS in his precious books.


  

Photo Credit: Kim Levin

Patrick McDonnell first created MUTTS in 1994 and has since received numerous rewards for his wonderful work in and outside the world of comics and illustrations. For environmental and animal advocacy MUTTS has been awarded: two Genesis Awards from the Ark Trust, The HSUS Hollywood Genesis Award for Ongoing Commitment, the PETA HUmanitarian Award and a Sierra Club award. McDonnell has also recieved quite a few cartoonist awards as well, a few of which being: the National Cartoonist Society's highest honor, The Reuben for cartoonist of the year, five Harvey Awards for Best Comic Strip, Germany's Max and Moritz Award for best International Comic Strip, and the Swedish Acadamy of Comic Art's Adamson Statuette.     

In 2005,  McDonnell's career in children's books began with the publication of The Gift of Nothing, which soon became a New York Times bestseller. The Gift of Nothing is a wonderful story where whimsy meets reality. Mooch is trying to find a Christmas present for his best friend Earl, the dog who has everything. It is Mooch's search for nothing and how in the end nothing really is everything when you have each other.

Wag!, "a book about a dog, his tail, and Me!" "Me" being the MUTTS character Mooch of course. This sweet book follows Earl the dog, trying to figure out why his tail wags. Earl's tail wags for food, belly rubs, friends, fields of flowers and no reason at all, but what do all of these have in common? Love. Love is what makes Earl happy, love is what makes the difference.

Hug Time was also a New York Times Bestseller in 2007. Hug Time is the  international journey of kitten Jules as he creates and completes his Hug-to-do list. Travelling around  the world making a difference by hugging everyone in the world from whales to butterflies, from polar bears to birds in the park, hugs are the simplest kindest gift we can give another. Its a beautifully illustrated story about sharing love with others and our Earth.

Patrick McDonnell is highly involved in animal and environmental charities. He is an active member of the Board of Directors for both The Humane Society of America of the United States as well as the  Fund for Animals.  As is evident in his MUTTS Comic strips he is an unapologetic animal advocate, as well as a brilliant and amusing author.