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Mutts

暖房子国际精选绘本:南方

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When a little bird awakens to find that all of his friends and family have gone south for the winter, it takes a surprising friendship with Mooch the cat to help him find his way. This is a wordless and profoundly moving story--by the creator of the beloved comic strip Mutts --that explores being lost and found, crossing boundaries, saying goodbye, and broadening horizons.

Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

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462 people want to read

About the author

Patrick McDonnell

182 books389 followers
Patrick McDonnell’s comic strip, MUTTS, is celebrating its 30th anniversary, having appeared in over 700 newspapers across 20 countries. MUTTS has received numerous awards for its artistry and its animal and environmental themes. These include the NCS Reuben for Cartoonist of the Year, seven Harveys and the Eisner Humanitarian Award. Charles Schulz called MUTTS “One of the best comics strips of all time.”

BREAKING THE CHAIN: THE GUARD DOG STORY, a collection of his newsworthy story centered freeing MUTTS chained dog, Guard Dog, will be published in fall 2024.
McDonnell’s latest book is THE SUPER HERO’S JOURNEY, a graphic novel love letter to Marvel Comics and Jack Kirby. It was on 11 ‘best of’ lists for 2023.

THE ART OF NOTHING, an oeuvre of McDonnell’s work, comprehensively celebrates Patrick’s comic strip career. McDonnell is also the author of New York Times bestselling picture books, including THE GIFT OF NOTHING and the Caldecott Honor winning ME...JANE (a childhood biography of Dr. Jane Goodall). Both have been adapted as musicals for the Kennedy Center stage. In addition, he has collaborated with spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle on GUARDIANS OF BEING and with poet Daniel Ladinsky on DARLING I LOVE YOU. HEART TO HEART: A CONVERSATION ON LOVE AND HOPE FOR OUR PRECIOUS PLANET is a collaboration with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness has said “It is my hope that this book will open the eyes, minds and hearts of all people.”

In 2021, Ohio State University hosted Side Effects, a major exhibition of his large scale canvases. There will be a year-long retrospective of McDonnell’s comic strips, book illustrations and paintings at the San Diego Comic-Con Museum opening in January 2025.

McDonnell was a member of the Board of Directors of The Humane Society of the United States for 18 years as well as The Fund for Animals, and continues to serve as a director for The Charles M. Schulz Museum and D&R Greenway Land Trust.

You can sign up for the MUTTS daily email at mutts.com.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
Profile Image for Manybooks.
3,829 reviews100 followers
December 30, 2018
Patrick McDonnell's South is a wonderfully uncluttered, utterly sweet wordless picture book about a cat that helps a lost little bird find its travel companions (the bird had fallen asleep and missed the beginning of the annual fall migration to southern climes, hence the title).

Now the wordless picture sequences of South really do in all ways present a charming tale of an unusual friendship, and thankfully, appreciatively, they also manage to accomplish this with simple, easy to visualise/understand illustrations (for as an exceedingly text oriented reader, my main problem with many if not even the majority of wordless picture books is that they tend to often be much too complex and involved for me to easily understand without accompanying narrative, which is fortunately avoided here). And although Patrick McDonnell's illustrations are actually in and of themselves not exactly the kind and style of artwork I usually enjoy (being much too cartoon-like for my aesthetic tastes), they do indeed work very well in South, which is truly a delightful little gem and has made me both smile and tear up at the same time.

South would be wonderful for sharing with any child who likes to read or hear stories about animals (or about friendship, about helping those in need) and is in my opinion also simple enough for even very young children to enjoy on their own, a definite and absolute winner in every way (although I do think it might perhaps be necessary to explain to children that realistically speaking, a cat would likely not consider helping a lost bird, but would more probably consider said bird as something to stalk and hunt).
Profile Image for Laura.
1,520 reviews253 followers
October 18, 2016

Simple and sweet!

An adorable story about helping someone find his way home. Everyone needs a helping hand every once in a while.

Mooch happens upon a lost, weeping bird. The other birds have already set off on their journey south for the winter without him. Now he’s lost and all alone. So Mooch takes his hand and offers to help him find his way. So off they go…Determination, heart, and true friendship shine in this book. Messages to live by.

And all of this is done and said with no words at all! Mr. McDonnell is one of the best at wordless books in my opinion.

Follow these two friends from falling leaves to falling snow. You’ll be happy you did.


Profile Image for Kathryn.
4,787 reviews
June 25, 2013
What a sweet, gently humorous story! Little bird dozed off and didn't realize his flock had already begun to fly south for the winter. A passing cat happens upon the panicked bird and offers to journey with him until they find the flock. I like the message of being kind and helpful to strangers (though I did wonder a bit that nobody in the flock missed the poor little bird!?) and it's nice to see the cat-and-bird relationship portrayed in a nice and friendly way for a change. The illustrations are just darling.p
Profile Image for Lisa Vegan.
2,915 reviews1,317 followers
February 5, 2011
This nearly wordless picture book has such a sweet story, that of a bird whose flock mates have flown south for the winter while the bird was left behind because of falling asleep. A cat helps him and leads him on a journey, and they finally find some temporarily resting birds, so he can join the other birds. Both bird and cat are wonderful characters. This is a book that young pre-readers, if they know that birds migrate, will be able to “read” and understand this book for themselves. This is a story that people of all ages can enjoy. Readers who like birds, cats, and nature in general are likely to be delighted while reading it. It’s sweet and funny. The pictures are wonderfully simple and tell the story well. This is a lovely example of simple being powerful, and of making a wonderful story. It tugged at my heartstrings; I felt a myriad of emotions while reading it, including grief, angst, amusement and joy. I really liked it and can see sharing it with children and buying it to give as gifts too.
Profile Image for Abigail.
8,024 reviews265 followers
January 7, 2020
Cartoonist Patrick McDonell, creator of the Mutts comic-strip, brings his distinctive aesthetic style to the world of children's picture-books, producing a lovely wordless story in South. When a little bird misses the departure of his flock for places southward, because he is napping, he is very distraught. But then a kindhearted cat happens along, and taking the little stray under his wing, helps him to catch up to his migrating fellows...

I agree with my friend Gundula, who describes the style here as 'uncluttered.' McDonnell's artwork is deceptively simple: lots of blank page (light pink, in this case, since that is the color of the paper), simple lines and colors, lots of little musical notations, to indicate the singing of the birds. The end product, however, is immensely expressive - one feels the little bird's distress, and then growing fondness for his feline protector, as well as the cat's affectionate patience, with his somewhat demanding charge - and quite heartwarming. Recommended to anyone looking for engaging tales of friendship, or for wordless picture-books!
Profile Image for Catherine Woodman.
5,934 reviews118 followers
Read
July 29, 2011
This is a simple-as-best told story, recapitulating a theme that reoccurs in many a well known children's story book. Can we all relate to this--bird wakes up and realizes that he has overslept, and all his fellow birds are headed south without him. Oops! A cat befriends him (this is how you know it is a work of imagination and fictional), walking with him until theycatch up with the other birds, just as the snow starts to fall--and the cat learns to sing from the bird--so an act of kindness can repay you in man¥ ways. It is totally illustrations, so could be a first book for a child--one that you tell the story to them, and later they can tell it to themselves, long before they read. The author and his wife are active at the national level in the ASPCA, and he has authored many books with shelter dogs as the lead character, so something to support philosophically as well.
Profile Image for Brittany Cuenin.
Author 1 book40 followers
November 28, 2012
South by Patrick McDonnell is hands down, a book that should be on every child’s bookshelf. It is a quiet and yet powerful tale of friendship with beautiful illustrations.
McDonnell is well known for his cartoon illustrations of Mutts and The Gift of Nothing. I was unfamiliar with him but picked up this picture book, South, on a recommendation.
It is just perfect and nostalgic, all at once. The book has no words (save for the sign declaring South).
The plot line is that the character Mooch the cat helps a lost bird. The illustrations begin with a flock of singing birds flying away and one sleeping bird gets left behind. Mooch discovers the bird and and points the way south, when the bird wonders why she is alone.
Mooch holds out his paw and takes the sad bird down the street, through the city and into the snowing woods. Finally, they hear the song of the rest of the birds and find them resting on a telephone poll. The bird hugs Mooch and flies off with her family, while Mooch goes home to sleep by the fire.
I soaked up the sweet story of this book and thought it had a great message for adults and children. I loved how words were not necessary to tell the story. I think it would work very well with children to a) help them absorb the meaning of the story from illustrations alone and b) really encourage their creativity by listening to their own versions of the story. Pick this one up for any child, it is a great work!
Sometimes it takes a friend to help you find your way.
(McDonnell, Patrick. South. Little, Brown and Company, 2008.)
6,240 reviews84 followers
September 16, 2013
A sweet wordless story about a little bird that gets left behind and a cat that helps it find it's friends. Maybe I'll try this with my film group that is a little older.
Profile Image for Beverly.
6,087 reviews4 followers
October 1, 2013
One of the sweetest wordless books I have ever seen. With comic strip style illustrations in muted watercolors.
23 reviews
October 6, 2017
Wordless picturebook
Title (italicize): SOUTH
Author: Patrick McDonnell
Illustrator (if separate from author): Patrick McDonnell
Genre: Wordless picture book, fiction
Theme(s): Helping others, finding your way, compassion, friendship
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text): N/A
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words): A bird gets left behind when his flock travels south for the winter because he was sleeping when they left. He gets woken up by a fallen leaf, sees that everyone has left, and begins to cry. A blue cat finds him, holds his hand, and the two of them go on a journey to find the bird’s flock. At the end of the story, they find the bird’s flock and they hug goodbye.

Professional Recommendation/Review #1 (cut & paste, details below):
Name of Reviewer: Horn Book
Name of Source (journal, association/organization, etc.): Horn Book
Link to source: http://www.hornbookguide.com.ezaccess...
Short blurb from the review(cut & paste):
(3) PS In this latest offering starring the cherry-nosed cat from comic strip Mutts, Mooch helps a bird who has slept through her feathered friends' autumnal migration. Except for the bird's occasional "weep weep weep," this quietly soul-stirring book is wordless; the sight of Mooch dutifully carrying the tiny bird through the forest advertises more strongly than words the beauty of kindness.

Professional Recommendation/Review #2 (cut & paste, details below):
Name of Reviewer: Kirkus
Name of Source (journal, association/organization, etc.): CLCD
Link to source: http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
Short blurb from the review(cut & paste):
A flock of small, yellow birds sitting in a tree takes flight. The last leaf falls and startles a sleeping bird on the ground below, who looks up to see his flock is gone. Mutts comic-strip character and occasional picture-book star Mooch the cat happens by and explains the flock flew south. The bird has a cry, and Mooch decides to lend a paw. They trek through the neighborhood, the city and a forest as the snows begin to fall. Mooch stops for a snooze, but the distraught bird breaks into tears again. They set off once more and shortly find the flock on a wire. Everyone's happy but Mooch and his new friend must part. This wordless tale of good-Samaritanism and friendship plays out in simple, softly colored watercolors on heavy beige stock, with just enough background sketched in to provide a sense of setting without overwhelming the emotional drama taking place. McDonnell's sense of just-sweet-enough is exactly right, leaving readers feeling as if they are curled on the carpet next to the fire with Mooch. Warm and glowy.

Response to Two Professional Reviews (3-4 sentences in your own words)
Agree? Disagree? Commonalities and/or differences?
This book is simple but stunning. I agree with these reviews. The book is centered around compassion, friendship, and selflessness. It engrosses you and tells a wonderful tale without saying anything. The pictures aren’t too much or not enough, they are just right.

Evaluation of Literary Elements (3-4 sentences in your own words):
While reading this book, it was hard not to focus on how well of a job Patrick McDonnell did with the illustrations. The negative space conveys weather and light. Every page uses very simple shapes. It plays with moving one shape or object (like a tree) to the side and leaving an open stage for the bird and the cat to interact. The soft water color colors make it very appealing and not overwhelming to look at. In many scene where the two are still on their journey and haven’t yet found the bird’s family or home yet, Patrick McDonnell uses diagonal and uneven lines. Then at the end of the book, there are a lot of horizontal and warm colors used.

Consideration of Instructional Application(3-4 sentences in your own words):
In a mini lesson I would show how pictures can be a very powerful form of expression. I would also talk about how powerful it can be to help others. To extend this further, I can ask my students to think of a character trait that they think is really important (love, compassion, loyalty, etc.) and create a wordless picture book of their own to show this trait. In other content areas, we could research why birds migrate and think about the changing of seasons and why that happens.
Profile Image for Kelly.
37 reviews
August 2, 2011
I am possibly the only person on the planet who could go to an appointment with my hematologist & come home with a book. (There's a cart full of books in the waiting room; you buy on the honor system -- 50 cents for paperbacks, $1.00 for hardcovers, all proceeds go to the United Way.) Anyway, this is the book I bought. I'm a long time admirer of Patrick McDonnell's comic strip Mutts; his art is deceptively simple, and so beautiful. His 'children's books' -- they're only ostensibly for children -- share that quality. *South* is essentially wordless. By my count, it's 42 pages long, one illustration per page. It will likely take you less than five minutes to read, maybe ten if you're reading it with a child. But if you're a certain kind of person -- and you know who you are -- you'll likely have tears in your eyes. (Hint: If you're the kind of person who'd say 'A cat & a bird could *never* be friends,' this book is not for you.)

*South* has such a simple message. But you know, sometimes it's best to convey a simple message very simply: it's good to have a friend.
Profile Image for ☼Bookish in Virginia☼ .
1,321 reviews67 followers
April 15, 2010
SOUTH is a story about a little bird who manages to miss out on migrating with the gang. He's resting under a tree when everyone else flies off and when he wakes he finds himself not only left behind, but with no notion of how to go "south".

The fun comes because it is a cat -- of all creatures! -- who comes to his rescue.

TALKING POINTS:::
South is a sweet book that makes what I call a wonderful snuggle-read. Which is to say that it's the sort of book that goes well with a warm chocolate chip cookie and a lap.

And I adore the message of this story. It's one that can tie in to a religious or ethical lesson of how we should befriend and aid others.

The artwork is in warm colors and the illustrations look marvelous on the soft brown-tone paper. The expressive artwork conveys the emotions well.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer
(booksforkids-reviews)
Profile Image for Ashley Soules.
31 reviews2 followers
October 10, 2014
I thought that this book was super adorable. This was a great story of kindness and self sacrifice. The little birdie's family flew south for the winter and accidentally left the little bird behind. The kitty helped the little birdie find it's family, even though the journey was long and the weather was cold. I would love to have this book for my future classroom. I felt kind of bad for the kitty though when he/she wanted to take a nap and the bird wouldn't let him/her. I was also glad that the birdie was able to find it's family and that the story had a happy ending...well except for the kitty, it'll have to walk all of the way back by itself to get home...I don't know why, but I love wordless stories. I guess maybe because as a reader I'm able to make up my own story to go along with the illustrations. It's a great way to work the imagination I guess.
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book670 followers
November 21, 2012
This is a very sweet wordless tale that depicts kindness and friendship. The story is told through the actions of the two main characters and we had fun narrating our own version of the tale. The illustrations are wonderful and we've really enjoyed reading Patrick McDonnell's books.

This book was selected as one of the books for the July 2013 - Cats and Dogs discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
Profile Image for Natalie Pietro.
350 reviews74 followers
October 26, 2011
What a beautiful story. No words just pictures which makes the story more romantic cause you can use your imagination. A cute story of a lost bird trying to find his way home with the help of his cat friend. Love the pictures and making up a story for my son was amazing. He loved it. Love this book.
Profile Image for Linda .
4,199 reviews52 followers
December 7, 2017
I have never read this wonderful fall book and now am happy I did. A little bird appears sad that he's lost and has missed his chance leaving with his flock. Mooch the cat, another who proves to be a fine friend, helps the bird on his journey, though Mooch is sad to wave goodbye. It is a simple story that brings deep layers of feelings.
Profile Image for Ginny Messina.
Author 9 books135 followers
February 18, 2011
A very patient kitty helps a little bird catch up to the rest of the flock, who have headed south without him. (He was snoozing when they left.) This is an almost-wordless picture book and it’s very charming and sweet.
Profile Image for Kelly.
8,847 reviews18 followers
September 25, 2017
The illustrations are beautiful. In this book, McDonnell really captures the connection between the two animal friends. For the most part it is a wordless book, but words are not needed.

This is one of those authors that I need to have everything he has written for children.
Profile Image for Lorin Elizabeth.
108 reviews24 followers
June 8, 2015
Mooch helps a birdie find his flock. South is gorgeously illustrated (duh), has perfect timing and celebrates the journey of kindness, friendship and letting go. <3
Profile Image for Kaethe.
6,572 reviews532 followers
October 27, 2022
Actually, the word "weep" is used, and it feels odd, because the crying thing is pretty obvious. It isn't the hardest concept; I feel like the comic and picture book depictions for crying are ubiquitous, but whatever.

Library copy
Profile Image for Jo Oehrlein.
6,361 reviews9 followers
November 20, 2017
A wordless book by the artist who draws Mutts.

A bird is left behind when others go south. When a cat finds the bird, the cat decides to help. They travel south together until the bird meets up with the others and the cat returns home.

A simple story on helping others and being kind.
926 reviews10 followers
March 1, 2018
I had tears in my eyes when I finished this book. What a lovely, heartfelt story with my favorite cat, Mooch, as the star! Patrick McDonnell writes the most beautiful and meaningful stories for all ages. Giant Kudos Patrick, I love all of your works, never miss your daily comic strip!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews

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