The Kingdom of Nothing

In this high-style anticonsumption parable, “kingdom” is meant ironically, while “nothing” is to be taken literally. Though there’s a queen, a king, a princess, and a prince, the family that Wohlman writes about not only eschews the trappings of fairy tale royalty (no magic frogs or diamond crowns), they lack pretty much everything else, too (“There was absolutely NOTHING!”). And yet, readers are assured, “NOTHING could stop them from having lots of fun.” The characters, bright orange figures with curlicued features, spend their days frolicking on the grass under a perfect blue sky; rather than birthday presents, the children receive “lots and lots” of time and “very big hugs” from the mustachioed “generous” father (their mother’s aggregate contributions are not similarly singled out). Hewitt depicts the life of simplicity in single-plane, abstracted images of eye-popping color, with typography dancing around the action. Perhaps this will be a wake-up call to families who are chasing a materialistic dream, but there’s a whiff of sanctimoniousness lurking around the edges. Ages 3–6. [em](Feb.) [/em]