Themes of loneliness and isolation are raised by this tender tale of a man named Mister Empty. Mister Empty travels around the town looking to feel fulfilled by different things. Work doesn’t make him happy. Food doesn’t make him happy. The artwork on the walls of the local gallery doesn’t make him happy. The birds in the aviary don’t make him happy either. His increasing sense of isolation and dissatisfaction is depicted in a warm and sophisticated manner. One day he bumps into someone else who is as empty as he is, and a connection of love is formed between them. This deceptively simple tale is an excellent example of the power of wordless storytelling; the reader acquires a large amount of information about Mister Empty without the need of a single word. The picturebook opens up a wonderful way to discuss the issue of loneliness and the need for love and compassion in our everyday life. How can society function if even one citizen is as lonely as Mister Empty? The cliff-hanger ending lets readers aged 12-15 years speculate on what happens next for Mister Empty, after he encounters a passer-by that makes him feel whole again.
