Picturebook Review: Let's Do Nothing by Tony Fucile

Let's Do Nothing written and illustrated by Tony Fucile is picturebook about two boys, certain that they have done absolutely everything, determined to do nothing. However, that turns out to be much harder than they could have imagined. Frankie and Sal have played every game, baked and eaten cookies, painted countless pictures, and can think of nothing they have not done. Then Sal has a brilliant idea, the only thing they have not done is 'nothing'. They set out to do ten seconds of absolutely nothing. They try to act like statues, trees, buildings, anything that is still. But they keep moving, breathing, blinking. The simple and almost retro feeling illustrations take the readers on the boy's quest to do nothing. There is visual humor and subtle winks to the readers as Frankie and Sal fail spectacularly and humorously at doing nothing.

Let's Do Nothing is a great story. The boys are great friends, and very different from each other. Their imagination takes they in different directions, but that is okay with them and great fun as far as they are concerned. The story also does a wonderful job of encouraging the use of imagination to combat boredom. Frankie has a great imagination, picturing pigeons landing on him as a statue, and King Kong climbing him as a building. When they finally declare that it is simply impossible to do nothing, the go out to do something.

I highly recommend Let's Do Nothing. My children already have the imagination levels of young Frankie and Sal, but it was still a great lead in to discussing on how to use the imagination in appropriate ways and to some attempts of pretending to be statues in my living room. The illustrations and scenarios would make for great story time or classroom reading and follow up discussions on imagination and how to deal with boredom.