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Mutts
The Mutts Diaries (Volume 1)
The first Mutts collection in the AMP! Comics for Kids series!
The beloved characters in Mutts have a special appeal to kids. The warm humor and friendship between unlikely characters create a special blend. Earl is a small mutt with a big heart who cheerfully tugs at the leash on the walk of life. Earl is Mooch the cat's innocent friend, as well as a witness to Mooch's antics, and is sometimes a reluctant participant. Mooch has a fuzzy way of thinking and exclaiming "Yesh!" when really excited. Lively, animated, confident, and silly, Mooch is a smorgasbord of emotions who dances with enthusiasm and sings a lot. Mooch is the curious instigator of action, while the ever-loyal Earl often gets pulled into the fray.
Created in 1994, Mutts appears in more than 700 newspapers and in 20 countries. McDonnell has received numerous awards for this strip, including the National Cartoonists Society's highest honor, The Reuben, for Cartoonist of the Year, six Harvey Awards for Best Comic Strip, Germany's Max and Moritz Award for Best International Comic Strip, and the Swedish Academy of Comic Art's Adamson Statuette. Mutts has also won awards for its environmental and animal advocacy, including two Genesis Awards from The Ark Trust, The HSUS Hollywood Genesis Award for Ongoing Commitment, the PETA Humanitarian Award, and a Sierra Club award.
The beloved characters in Mutts have a special appeal to kids. The warm humor and friendship between unlikely characters create a special blend. Earl is a small mutt with a big heart who cheerfully tugs at the leash on the walk of life. Earl is Mooch the cat's innocent friend, as well as a witness to Mooch's antics, and is sometimes a reluctant participant. Mooch has a fuzzy way of thinking and exclaiming "Yesh!" when really excited. Lively, animated, confident, and silly, Mooch is a smorgasbord of emotions who dances with enthusiasm and sings a lot. Mooch is the curious instigator of action, while the ever-loyal Earl often gets pulled into the fray.
Created in 1994, Mutts appears in more than 700 newspapers and in 20 countries. McDonnell has received numerous awards for this strip, including the National Cartoonists Society's highest honor, The Reuben, for Cartoonist of the Year, six Harvey Awards for Best Comic Strip, Germany's Max and Moritz Award for Best International Comic Strip, and the Swedish Academy of Comic Art's Adamson Statuette. Mutts has also won awards for its environmental and animal advocacy, including two Genesis Awards from The Ark Trust, The HSUS Hollywood Genesis Award for Ongoing Commitment, the PETA Humanitarian Award, and a Sierra Club award.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2014
4 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Patrick McDonnell
185 books394 followersPatrick 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
November 13, 2020
3.5 Stars
This collection of MUTTS Diaries is full of emotion and energy and laughs! Laughs I really needed right now.
Naps and snacks and Mooch’s love affair with a little pink sock all made me smile and let some of the tension of the day go. Add in Earl’s walks, wags, and belly rubs (not nearly enough belly rubs) and you get love and friendship galore. These two BFFs are priceless. The small quiet looks they give each other say so much along with the excited waves and wags. Haha….I love them. Mooch and Earl are true friends who share, listen, and watch the days and seasons go by together.
The book is divided into separate character diaries, but the other voices included didn’t really tickle my funny bone. Bip and Bop and Sour Puss rather annoyed me to be honest. I like them in small doses, but all at once in one big clump like this didn’t work for me.
Mooch and Earl are cute as can be though from beginning to end. Come see the trouble and fun they can cause from one moment to the next. :)
December 24, 2014
Read this review on KK's Books & Reviews
Another review written by my daughter:
LOVED IT!
This is a comic book, like the Big Nate books. I liked this more than I thought I would. I think it deserves 5 stars because it made me laugh. I like the cat Mooch, and the dog Earl. I didn't want to read about Sourpuss at first, but he turned out to be funny too. He really hates Mondays. I don’t know why he hates Mondays, it’s not like he has to go to school or work, but it’s really funny.
The jokes about the Marvel heroes were funny. A squirrel dropped a hard nut on Iron Man on the head and he got knocked out. And then Spiderman fell for it too! The exact same thing! It was so funny! This was nice because I don’t see the Mutts in my Sunday comics in the newspaper anymore.
There’s another character who’s a little crab and he hates the sun and says bad words like this-> @#$%
He’s crabby. LOL
I would tell people to buy this book because it’s pretty funny.
***copy provided by the publisher via netgalley
Another review written by my daughter:
LOVED IT!
This is a comic book, like the Big Nate books. I liked this more than I thought I would. I think it deserves 5 stars because it made me laugh. I like the cat Mooch, and the dog Earl. I didn't want to read about Sourpuss at first, but he turned out to be funny too. He really hates Mondays. I don’t know why he hates Mondays, it’s not like he has to go to school or work, but it’s really funny.
The jokes about the Marvel heroes were funny. A squirrel dropped a hard nut on Iron Man on the head and he got knocked out. And then Spiderman fell for it too! The exact same thing! It was so funny! This was nice because I don’t see the Mutts in my Sunday comics in the newspaper anymore.
There’s another character who’s a little crab and he hates the sun and says bad words like this-> @#$%
He’s crabby. LOL
I would tell people to buy this book because it’s pretty funny.
***copy provided by the publisher via netgalley
June 27, 2014
4.5 stars
This is one MG graphic novel worth picking up! I'm not usually a big graphic novel fan, but I really enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed that this book is made up of the various characters's dairies. I'm torn on who I liked more, because each character was fun to read about, though I think Crabby is one that made me laugh the most. You know it's good when you end up picking up a book you received a day earlier, and are up at 1 am laughing hysterically at some of the comics on the pages.
Read my full review on Mundie Kids http://mundiekids.blogspot.com/2014/0...
This is one MG graphic novel worth picking up! I'm not usually a big graphic novel fan, but I really enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed that this book is made up of the various characters's dairies. I'm torn on who I liked more, because each character was fun to read about, though I think Crabby is one that made me laugh the most. You know it's good when you end up picking up a book you received a day earlier, and are up at 1 am laughing hysterically at some of the comics on the pages.
Read my full review on Mundie Kids http://mundiekids.blogspot.com/2014/0...
August 28, 2014
ARC for review
The Mutts are just too sweet, especially with the awareness the author brings to shelter animals and animals that are tied up outdoors. I've never found the squirrels that funny, but the rest of the delightful cartoons make up for that. This is a short little collection, perfect for those who want to start slowly to see whether they enjoy (if you love dogs and cats, you will).
The Mutts are just too sweet, especially with the awareness the author brings to shelter animals and animals that are tied up outdoors. I've never found the squirrels that funny, but the rest of the delightful cartoons make up for that. This is a short little collection, perfect for those who want to start slowly to see whether they enjoy (if you love dogs and cats, you will).
April 14, 2018
it was so funny!!!!!!!!!!! summer u will LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 3, 2023
No better cartoon for me!
July 18, 2018
it's so exciting
August 26, 2014
Mutts has long been one of my favorite comics for half of my life. I first discovered it in high school and then made a point to get a newspaper so I could read it. I was excited to find this book on Netgalley available for request so I could dive in and enjoy some Earl, Mooch, & Gang.
I think that Patrick McDonnell is extremely talented. In just a few panels, he manages to capture the epitome of our pets and the range of emotions associated with them. This is THE MUTTS DIARIES and inside you will find Earl's, Mooch's, Guard Dog's, Chickpea's, Bip & Bop's, Sourpuss', Crabby's, and Shtinky's diaries. Each diary is filled with snippets of their days and interactions.
images purposefully small. Sorry!
I thought it was adorable that the prints are on a looseleaf background and think that any person, child or adult, would love this collection. It comes out October 7, 2014 and I know I'll be snapping it up for my mom, whose birthday is roughly a week later, and for myself!
October 21, 2014
'The Mutts Diaries' by Patrick McDonnell is a great collection of comic strips for kids. I found myself liking it quite a bit as well.
Every character gets a chapter, but the characters are featured throughout. Cat Mooch and his best friend Earl. Bip and Bop are two squirrels that like pelting people on the head with nuts (among other things). Guard Dog, Crabby, Shtinky Puddin' and Chickpea and Chickpea's brother are also featured. Comic strip themes include vacations, life in the pound, having an owner, what each character would teach in school. The strips are silly and sometimes poignant.
It's a quick read, but the kind of thing I loved as a kid. I remember reading Nancy and Sluggo, Peanuts, Garfield and Bloom County. The drawings are simple but pretty adorable. The only character that seems a bit out of place in a kids collection is Crabby, who can't seem to make a sentence without a cuss word in it. Words are substituted by characters (#$%!*), but I still found it less funny for a kid's book. Other than that, I enjoyed this collection a lot.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun ebook.
Every character gets a chapter, but the characters are featured throughout. Cat Mooch and his best friend Earl. Bip and Bop are two squirrels that like pelting people on the head with nuts (among other things). Guard Dog, Crabby, Shtinky Puddin' and Chickpea and Chickpea's brother are also featured. Comic strip themes include vacations, life in the pound, having an owner, what each character would teach in school. The strips are silly and sometimes poignant.
It's a quick read, but the kind of thing I loved as a kid. I remember reading Nancy and Sluggo, Peanuts, Garfield and Bloom County. The drawings are simple but pretty adorable. The only character that seems a bit out of place in a kids collection is Crabby, who can't seem to make a sentence without a cuss word in it. Words are substituted by characters (#$%!*), but I still found it less funny for a kid's book. Other than that, I enjoyed this collection a lot.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun ebook.
February 9, 2017
4.5 stars
February 11, 2017
It's so cute~ ^^
December 3, 2014
Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy of this!
I can't believe I forgot to review this when I first read it. I don't have a lot to say, it's true, but this book is absolutely darling. I've never read the Mutts comics all that much in my life, though I've always had a bit of a fondness. But this collection is absolutely great. Very cute, a lot of cleverness and witty humour. Absolutely lovely comics and well worth the read.
I can't believe I forgot to review this when I first read it. I don't have a lot to say, it's true, but this book is absolutely darling. I've never read the Mutts comics all that much in my life, though I've always had a bit of a fondness. But this collection is absolutely great. Very cute, a lot of cleverness and witty humour. Absolutely lovely comics and well worth the read.
February 15, 2016
MUTTS is my favorite comic. I love all the characters, and love that Patrick McDonnell incorporates shelter stories in his strip, and that he is such a supporter of animal adoption. He even includes a chained dog that will warm your heart. A lot of these comics made me laugh, and some even made me a little teary. So many of them remind me of the antics of my own dog.
June 27, 2015
Love it! Love it!! LOVE IT!!! Adorable, witty, and funny!
December 24, 2015
IT'S THE CUTEST, SWEETEST COMIC STRIPS COLLECTION EVER.
I LOVE IT.
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
I'm going to re-read this everytime I feel down. Thank you. :)
I LOVE IT.
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
I'm going to re-read this everytime I feel down. Thank you. :)
January 25, 2018
I enjoy comics, so I didn't mind this one, but its not my favorite. I prefer Calvin and Hobbes. :P But this was pretty funny and I liked Earl.
This book is a comic book about a cat named Mooch, a dog named Earl, and their many friends and acquaintances. It can be funny and sometimes cute, but mostly its just another talking animal comic book. My brothers like the 'Little Pink Sock', though.
This book is a comic book about a cat named Mooch, a dog named Earl, and their many friends and acquaintances. It can be funny and sometimes cute, but mostly its just another talking animal comic book. My brothers like the 'Little Pink Sock', though.
February 17, 2021
My daughter LOVES Earl and Mooch, so what better bday gift for her than their diaries! We so enjoyed reading this at night, and some pages we read over and over and over. She especially loved the pages in each diary where the characters were teachers. Poor Guard Dog makes me a little sad, though.
September 13, 2019
All of the Mutts seasonal diaries (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) are suitable choices for primary grade libraries. If you can only get one book, The Mutts Diaries contain selections from the seasonal books, plus other comics.
April 22, 2019
Very Heart-warming and some of the stuff was very like my dog at home.
December 11, 2019
A super cute collection of animal-themed comics. Some of these will really make you go 'aww.' I particularly enjoyed the Shtinky and the Guard dog ones.
December 27, 2019
Strips featuring many of our favorite characters!
May 10, 2020
funny and heart warming
June 29, 2021
So good! Love these cute little comics!
March 20, 2025
Wonderful for all ages!
April 20, 2025
We need some sweets, and PM supplies. Heartwarming
November 8, 2016
This book reprints samples of the wonderful MUTTS comic strip, oddly organized by character.
September 21, 2017
This book is mainly about pets. The pet write the journal and its purity entertaining. The cat and the dog ( I forgot their names ) are really funny talking to each other. It's also a comic book.
March 4, 2017
I stole this from my daughter's library bag. It made me giggle. Totally appropriate for any pet owner.
August 30, 2014
REVIEW:
I haven't read the Mutts in years. This comic is laid out as if drawn on notebook paper (apparently a big thing these days). The animals are as sweet, cute and funny as ever.
I was provided this book by the publisher for an honest review. It is good to see that some things that have been around a while still touch the hearts if animal lovers. I love pets and found these comics very funny & also containing a lot of truth. Very funny read.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The beloved characters in Mutts have a special appeal to kids. The warm humor and friendship between unlikely characters create a special blend. Earl is a small mutt with a big heart who cheerfully tugs at the leash on the walk of life. Earl is Mooch the cat's innocent friend, as well as a witness to Mooch's antics, and is sometimes a reluctant participant. Mooch has a fuzzy way of thinking and exclaiming "Yesh!" when really excited. Lively, animated, confident, and silly, Mooch is a smorgasbord of emotions who dances with enthusiasm and sings a lot. Mooch is the curious instigator of action, while the ever-loyal Earl often gets pulled into the fray.
Created in 1994, Mutts appears in more than 700 newspapers and in 20 countries. McDonnell has received numerous awards for this strip, including the National Cartoonists Society's highest honor, The Reuben, for Cartoonist of the Year, six Harvey Awards for Best Comic Strip, Germany's Max and Moritz Award for Best International Comic Strip, and the Swedish Academy of Comic Art's Adamson Statuette. Mutts has also won awards for its environmental and animal advocacy, including two Genesis Awards from The Ark Trust, The HSUS Hollywood Genesis Award for Ongoing Commitment, the PETA Humanitarian Award, and a Sierra Club award.
I haven't read the Mutts in years. This comic is laid out as if drawn on notebook paper (apparently a big thing these days). The animals are as sweet, cute and funny as ever.
I was provided this book by the publisher for an honest review. It is good to see that some things that have been around a while still touch the hearts if animal lovers. I love pets and found these comics very funny & also containing a lot of truth. Very funny read.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The beloved characters in Mutts have a special appeal to kids. The warm humor and friendship between unlikely characters create a special blend. Earl is a small mutt with a big heart who cheerfully tugs at the leash on the walk of life. Earl is Mooch the cat's innocent friend, as well as a witness to Mooch's antics, and is sometimes a reluctant participant. Mooch has a fuzzy way of thinking and exclaiming "Yesh!" when really excited. Lively, animated, confident, and silly, Mooch is a smorgasbord of emotions who dances with enthusiasm and sings a lot. Mooch is the curious instigator of action, while the ever-loyal Earl often gets pulled into the fray.
Created in 1994, Mutts appears in more than 700 newspapers and in 20 countries. McDonnell has received numerous awards for this strip, including the National Cartoonists Society's highest honor, The Reuben, for Cartoonist of the Year, six Harvey Awards for Best Comic Strip, Germany's Max and Moritz Award for Best International Comic Strip, and the Swedish Academy of Comic Art's Adamson Statuette. Mutts has also won awards for its environmental and animal advocacy, including two Genesis Awards from The Ark Trust, The HSUS Hollywood Genesis Award for Ongoing Commitment, the PETA Humanitarian Award, and a Sierra Club award.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews