The King and Nothing by Olivier Tallec translated by Nick Frost and Catherine Ostiguy

"There was once a king who had everything."

Stop and think about this sentence and the title. Now go onto this sentence:

"He lacked almost nothing."  

Wait a minute the king interprets this as he lacked Nothing. He needs Nothing. He is a collector and so he is missing this 'thing' called nothing.

Perhaps Nothing is something tiny - like a microbe. Or maybe he can find Nothing in the desert or perhaps in the vast night sky. The king demands everyone in the castle - someone must bring him Nothing. Even a tiny leaf is actually something and burning it just leaves ashes. He cannot even do nothing because that leads to daydreaming. He decides he might find Nothing if he gives everything away. He has an amazing collection of stuff but it all needs to go. The end page is sure to give you and your group of older students some thing to think about. 

Bookseller blurb: There once lived a king who had absolutely everything—and we mean everything. From elephants without trunks, to caramel-flavored ice skates, to caterpillars on bicycles, and even storm clouds that refused to make lightning. Yes, there was simply nothing you can imagine that this king did not have . . . well, except for nothing itself. From author-illustrator Olivier Tallec, The King and Nothing is the wonderfully whimsical and philosophical take of one person who searches high and low for nothing, only to encounter something at every turn. Just how far will the king go to find nothing?

Heady stuff, but potentially thought-provoking fare for budding existentialists. Kirkus

Despite his important anti-materialist message, the book’s cartoonish characters all sport big noses and googly eyes, which add to the fun. Even very young children will be able to grasp that the king’s library and cabinet of curiosities (bulging with rain clouds, sandwiches, bats, cacti, and moon boots) contain more than enough stuff for a lifetime. A timely message about how the chaotic mess of too many possessions can be countered with thoughtfulness, a desire for simplicity, and a deep clean out of one’s closet. YS Book Reviews

"He'd always been told you can find anything in books, so surely they would also be a good place to find Nothing. But the king quickly realised that although he had millions of books, their pages were always filled with something, a prince in love, different ways to repair a spaceship, or simple ways to prepare French-fry cakes. Decidedly, Nothing was not hiding in his library."

The French title is: Le roi et Rien.

Olivier Tallec graduated from the Ecole Supérieure d’Arts Graphiques in Paris and worked in advertising as a graphic designer before devoting himself to illustration. He has done many illustrations for newspapers and magazines and has illustrated more than thirty books for children. He lives in Paris.

One of the things I miss now that I no longer work in a school library is connecting books either in our library sessions or for staff. If I was sharing The King and Nothing these are the two books I would use as comparison texts (or just read for fun!).

The Greatest Treasure of Charlemagne the King

Would you rather ... by John Burningham

With a barrage of questions and images, Burningham covers enormous ground, from fairy tales (stirring a caldron with a witch) to horror stories (being locked in a haunted house), from the biblical (being swallowed by a fish) to the universal (being lost in a crowd). He uses the pictures as both sword and shield, jabbing with the provocative yet protecting with lean, almost slapstick images. The main character, a small curly-headed child, seems undaunted by the wild journeys, and ends up safe but exhausted in bed.  New York Times

Yesterday I mentioned Bookworm : A memoir of childhood reading by Lucy Mangan.  Would you Rather by John Burningham is another book which Lucy loved as a young child:

"Burningham opened up the eternal horrors and pleasures of the thought experiment to me, via his Would you Rather ...  But why? And why not? And why does the person reading it to or with you disagree? ... Oh it is a book of fathomless depth and endless wonders, to be debated long into the night..."

I have been a huge John Burningham fan since entering the world of school libraries. I drove for three hours once just to hear him speak and then drove home again arriving home well after midnight. I love to read aloud Cannonball Simp (renamed Simp), Where's Julius, Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present and the classic Avocado Baby, which is a must read for every Kindergarten class.

We do own Would you Rather in our school library (first published 1978) but it is thanks to Lucy Mangan that I have taken the time to really read and look at it properly. Now I find it is such a delightful book which would make a fabulous discussion starter in a family or class and could also be used as a writing model.  You might also use the questions as a springboard to problem solving with a design and make focus where the children plan devices to solve or escape from each scenario.

The first question, which sets up the premise, seems fairly straightforward.  Would you rather your house was surrounded by water, snow or jungle? In a class you might then add - now justify your choice. It is the second question which introduces the fun. Would you rather an elephant drank your bath water, an eagle stole your dinner, a pig tried on your clothes or a hippo slept in your bed?  As you can see the accompanying illustrations are perfect.

My favourite question is Would you rather help a fairy make magic, gnomes dig for treasure, an imp be naughty, a witch make a stew or Santa Claus deliver presents? I can't decide between making magic or digging for treasure.

Here is the star review by Kirkus.  The New York Times offer two other books to explore with a similar question and answer format - Which would you rather be?  by William Steig and Was it a good trade by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers.

And here is exciting news - there is a sequel to Would you Rather with the great title More Would you Rather: