Patrick McDonnell is the creator of the comic strip MUTTS, which appears in more than 700 newspapers around the globe. He has received numerous awards internationally, including the National Cartoonists Society's highest honor, The Reuben. MUTTS has been published in 24 compilation books in the U.S. and in numerous collections throughout the world. The Gift of Nothing was his first children's book, and it quickly became a New York Times bestseller. He has since produced seven additional children's books (including the 2012 Caldecott Honor-winning Me...Jane). McDonnell has collaborated with author Eckhart Tolle on Guardians of Being. McDonnell has appeared on CNN, The Today Show, PBS, and the Oprah Winfrey Network. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Humane Society of the United States, the Fund for Animals, and the Charles M. Schulz Museum. His MUTTS characters have been enlisted by the United States Marines (Toys for Tots), and the American Library Association (Read!'). They appear on New Jersey Animal Friendly license plates and in animated Public Service announcements for The Shelter Pet Project. His work has also been animated for a PSA for the New York Philharmonic. MUTTS is currently under development as an animated feature-length film for Twentieth Century Fox.