The Museum of Nothing

Crisp ink and digitally colored illustrations

Oona, portrayed with pink skin, and Otto, whose skin is brown, aren't sure what to expect when they stand at the entrance to the Museum of Nothing. But the place does look appropriately empty--Guarnaccia (Knit Your Bit) delineates the space and its empty pedestals and vitrines with crisp black lines and basic gray washes. The kids, who each sport "0" motifs on their clothing, quickly take to the place, and it turns out that there's an awful lot of nothing on display here, including a library full of books with empty pages, a wing that pays tribute to zero, bottles of air reminiscent of Marcel Duchamp's work, and another room full of holes whose black hole seems to momentarily envelop Otto. The joke even continues in the gift shop, where one can buy an Invisible Man action figure and a covetable t-shirt that reads, "My parents went to the museum and all I got was nothing." Cerebral and occasionally arcane, the cheeky pages will tickle young brains and inspire further exploration. Ages 5-9. (Oct.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"Crisp ink and digitally colored illustrations include numerous cleverly embedded zeroes and letter Os to represent the concept of "nothing"; children will enjoy scouring the pages to locate them and may want to illustrate their own ideas about nothingness." — Kirkus Reviews

★★★★"A book to be shared with all ages. Kids will appreciate the silliness and adults will appreciate some of the "in" jokes (Emily Dickinson's poem about being nobody). Put it with your read-a-louds for companionable giggles." — Youth Services Book Review

"White on White. A Polar Bear in a Snowstorm. Button holes. Black holes. At the museum of Nothing, there are exhibits of, well, nothing. This clever picture book is sure to have curious kids finding nothing everywhere." - Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop

"I didn't know a book about nothing could be so fun and suspenseful but it is! I love how the story subtly escalates even though "nothing" happens.... or does it?! I also think the use of color and white is pretty smart." — Jacque Izzo, Books Are Magic

"An absolute delight! I will be recommending this fabulous picture book to all the kids and parents I see! Beautifully illustrated and intelligently written." - Clare Etheridge, Brentwood Public Library

"Made me laugh. So creative. I loved all the representations of nothing. I would love to have students come up with more. Great hook to pair with Invisible things." - Vanessa Eyre, Librarian Granite Library

"​​Extremely cute and full of the most clever little puns... fun to read with middle grades and then have them design a similar museum based on a number of their choice." - Erikka Sawdey, Pickerington Public Library