When a small stray dog named Lulu is taken in by an itinerant painter named Remy, unexpected things happen. Remy, whose vision is poor, explains that he paints “the essence of a person, not their likeness ... Lulu noticed that few people were willing to pay for 'essence.’” So she starts painting, too. At each sitting, while Remy produces a large, abstract, often unflattering rendering of his human subject, Lulu paints a perfect miniature portrait of the person’s pet, embellished to capture the character of its owner. Her paintings are a huge hit, and Remy and Lulu are suddenly in demand. But Remy’s vision is so bad that he is unaware of what Lulu is doing and assumes the lavish praise is all for him, until one of their clients, a famous optometrist, presents him with a pair of glasses. Will this be the end of a beautiful friendship? Kevin Hawkes’s delightful conceit ultimately affirms the unique vision and sensibility of each of these two artists, not to mention the strength of their friendship. (Ages 5–9)

Ooh la la! From New York Times bestseller Kevin Hawkes, illustrator of Library Lion and Weslandia, comes the charming story of a dog and her owner who become the toast of Paris.
 
Lulu and her master, Remy, a passionate but struggling portrait painter, wander the French countryside looking for customers. They don’t need much business —just enough for some figs and cheese to keep their bellies full—but not many people seem to appreciate Remy’s abstract style.
 
Before long, Lulu secretly lends a paw to Remy’s work and—voilà!—the pair are the most celebrated artists on the salon circuit. If only Remy knew why . . .
 
With art from both beloved children’s book illustrator Kevin Hawkes and award-winning miniatures artist Hannah Harrison, this funny and heartwarming story about friendship and creativity shows that there are many ways to be good at the same thing . . . and that a true friend is always there for you.