Nothing in Common

The story opens as a boy and a girl look out their windows, never waving because they have “nothing in common.” Except that it turns out . . . they do: they both enjoy watching an old man with his dog that “could do marvelous things.” One day, though, they learn the dog is lost, so they separately set off to find the dog and reunite it and the old man. Working alone, they both check all the same places and experience the same heart-tugging emotions. When they finally discover the dog (in a hot air balloon, marvelously enough), they work together to bring him back to his friend and realize the dog has performed yet another marvel—he’s helped them discover they share more in common than they realized. While the story, at moments, feels a bit random, it simultaneously touches readers “under the floors of their hearts” with its sophistication and depth. Luyken’s illustrations match the words in both abstraction and elegance, and the tri-color scheme is distinctive, effectively emphasizing both the neighbors’ differences as well as the the beauty that comes from their joint friendship. The artistry in both prose and pictures combine to drive home a message that is timely and timeless—being brought together over a common purpose allows us to discover we have more in common than we may realize.