Patrick and his brother Robert on the Fox lot.

It’s with great sadness that we read of the recent passing of the incomparable author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak. His “Where the Wild Things Are” and countless other books illustrated our childhoods. Above, Patrick pays tribute to Maurice Sendak and his work as Mooch reads to his “Mutts Children’s Book Club.”

Not only are we celebrating Shelter Stories this week, it’s also national Screen-Free Week! Turn off your TV and computer, and turn on to a good book! Of course, we can suggest several… but tell us in the comments what your favorite book is!

This week marks another run of Shelter Stories appearing in MUTTS. Check your paper each morning to read the newest story! And don’t forget that you can always get each strip every day by signing up for the Daily Mutts right on the homepage!

Have you adopted a Shelter pet? Tell us in the comments!

This past weekend saw Patrick McDonnell in the company of SIX of this year’s seven Newbery & Caldecott medal winners and honorees at Books of Wonder for a talent-filled event. You can see some great photos on Books of Wonder’s tumblr.

Honorees who attended were:

Chris Raschka………..A Ball for Daisy
Jack Gantos…………..Dead End in Norvelt
John Rocco……………Blackout
Lane Smith…………….Grandpa Green
Patrick McDonnell…..Me…Jane
Eugene Yelchin………Breaking Stalin’s Nose

Signed copies of all the award winning books featured in this event are now available at booksofwonder.com.

Earth Day may be this weekend, but we’ll be celebrating the earth all week long with a series of new strips that show our love for the planet. And if you want to show more love for Mother Earth, check out past Earth Day strips here.

Coming your way in September 2012 is Patrick’s newest hardcover book! Here’s the synopsis:

Once upon a time, there were three little rascals who thought they were the BIGGEST, BADDEST monsters around. But when they decide to build a huge monster of their own, he isn’t exactly what the creatures were expecting. He’s happy. He giggles. He’s just grateful to be alive. And he has a lesson for his grouchy creators that only takes two little words.

In this playful tale from bestselling picture book author Patrick McDonnell, a very BIG monster shows three very BAD little monsters the power of boundless gratitude.

You can preorder it right here from the Books page.

Thanks to MUTTS fan Dana Fieda for bringing this to our attention on our FB page! Check out the special guest star on the top shelf of this page from the latest catalog from the Container Store!

Spay Day is celebrated each year on the third Tuesday of February, and Patrick commemorates it in his MUTTS strip to remind people that we can all do something to help end pet overpopulation.

You can help by learning more about Spay Day from the Humane Society of the United States.

Spay Day, because it is our responsibility to help ensure that all pets have loving homes.

A quick SHTUFF note: Our store’s been updated – and now you don’t have to have a PayPal account to get your MUTTS Shtuff. When you check out, you can now choose to use your credit or debit card instead if you’d like. Yesh!