All about Nothing

Rusch s thought-provoking text begins: Nothing is the space around and between everything. The presence of nothing, cued by plain white areas in the cut-paper illustrations, appears first as physical space: the gap where a tooth once sat, the expanse between stars in the sky, the space for a missing puzzle piece. Important, too, is nothing as temporal space: the moment before a leap of faith or a bit of spare time in one s day. Even in music, room for nothing fosters beauty: For what is a song without some silence? There can be, of course, too much or too little of nothing. On these spreads in particular, Goss s use of color and space makes a strong emotional impact: a queasy-green child sandwiched between tightly packed adults in a crowd finds too little of nothing, while a blue-hued child sulks surrounded by too much of nothing amid a stark white double-page spread. Wherever nothing is found, there is space for something to unfurl. Goss s intricate illustrations visually articulate the importance of nothing, or negative space, as discussed in the back matter. A striking call for young children and aspiring artists alike, the story sets out to prove that nothing matters, after all. 

The Horn Book