(October 7, 2025) Award-winning MUTTS creator Patrick McDonnell has entertained readers around the world with his beloved syndicated comic strip which has appeared in over 700 newspapers across 20 countries for 30 years. Now, the prolific creator is hitting the road to celebrate the release of his new children’s book The Gift of Everything and the 20th anniversary edition of the bestselling children’s classic The Gift of Nothing. Beginning with an appearance at Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown, PA and a signing at New York Comic Con, the national tour will include a celebration of the 75th anniversary of Peanuts at The Charles Schulz Museum.
In The Gift of Everything, Mooch the cat is searching for the perfect gift for his best friend, Earl the dog. But what, wonders Mooch, is perfect? Mooch soon discovers the answer: Everyone… Everywhere… Everything! As he sees the world around him with new eyes and a fresh feeling of gratitude, Mooch is delighted that he has just the right person to share it all with! In this joyful rhyming companion to The Gift of Nothing, the stars of the beloved comic strip MUTTS discover and celebrate the precious gift of being alive.
McDonnell has produced over a dozen picture books, including New York Times bestsellers The Gift of Nothing and Me . . . Jane (a Caldecott Honor biography of Jane Goodall). Both were adapted as musicals for the Kennedy Center. He has collaborated on books with author Eckhart Tolle (Guardians of Being), poet Daniel Ladinsky (Darling, I Love You), and His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Heart to Heart). This year will see the West Coast premier of The Gift of Nothing – A Musical for Children of All Ages at the Marin Theater in Mill Valley, California. This production originally debuted at the Kennedy Center.
Tour Dates:
October 8 | Doylestown, PA: Doylestown Bookshop (6:00 PM)
October 10 | New York, NY: New York Comic-Con (Details TBD)
October 11 | Morristown, NJ: Morristown Festival of Books (10:00 AM–5:00 PM)
October 22 | New York, NY: Books of Wonder (6:00 PM)
October 23 | Online/Virtual Event: West Hampton Libraries (7:00 PM)
October 25 | Mendham, NJ: Chapter One Book Fair (Time TBD)
November 12 | Encinitas, CA: Rancho Coastal Humane Society, Hosted by Warwick’s (4:00 PM)
November 15 | Santa Rosa, CA: Charles Schulz Museum (2:00 PM)
December 4 | Princeton, NJ: Labyrinth Books (6:00 PM)
Fans can learn more about McDonnell’s tour here. The Gift of Everything and The Gift of Nothing Anniversary Edition will both be available on October 7, 2025 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. To subscribe to the Daily MUTTS, visit MUTTS.COM or follow MUTTS on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Patrick McDonnell Patrick McDonnell’s beloved and award-winning comic strip, MUTTS, has appeared in over 700 newspapers across 20 countries for 30 years. Charles Schulz called it “One of the best comics strips of all time.” Patrick is the author of several New York Times bestselling picture books, including The Gift of Nothing, and the Caldecott Honor-winning Me…Jane. Both have been adapted as musicals for the Kennedy Center stage. Other children’s books include Hug Time, A Perfectly Messed-Up Story, The Monsters’ Monster, and Thank You and Goodnight. Patrick was a member of the Board of Directors of The Humane Society of the United States for 18 years and currently serves on the boards of The Charles M. Schulz Museum and D&R Greenway Land Trust. He lives in New Jersey.
