Shy
A Picture Book
-
- Pre-Order
-
- Expected Aug 11, 2026
-
- $9.99
-
- Pre-Order
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
From New York Times bestselling mother-daughter duo Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton and bestselling illustrator Eva Byrne comes an empowering tale of finding your voice—starring a shy puppy who discovers the magic of music
Shy is the smallest and quietest pup at the shelter. The world feels big, loud, and a bit scary to her sweet and gentle soul.
But when a man with kind eyes brings her home, she feels safe with her new best friend—and keeps him company while he practices at his piano. Beautiful, unfamiliar sounds dance in the air when the piano man plays, and something inside her begins to stir.
The piano man has an important performance ahead—but it may be a performance no one, especially the piano man, ever expected.
Inspired by Julie Andrews’s real-life “singing” dog, this uplifting picture book invites readers to find their voice and share their talents with the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mother-daughter collaborators Andrews and Walton Hamilton (The Enchanted Symphony) team up with Byrne (This Skirt Won't Work!) for an affable New York City–set story in which a quiet pup called Shy embraces her voice. At the animal shelter, small, brown-and-white Shy "seldom made a sound. Not at suppertime. Not at walk time. Not even at playtime.... The world felt big, loud, and a bit scary to her sweet and gentle soul." Rescued by a kind-eyed pianist portrayed with pale skin, the pup protagonist hears the "beautiful sounds" produced by her owner's instrument, and, as "something inside her began to stir," she lets loose with "Ow-WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Misunderstanding the pooch's vocalization as distress, the musician endeavors to soothe his new pet with toys, long walks, and more as he practices for an upcoming performance. When the concert arrives, Shy accompanies her human to the Carnegie Hall–like theater. But though she's meant to stay in the dressing room, the "familiar sound" of the new composition beckons her onto the stage where, under the spotlight, her voice raises "sweet, and true, and filled with joy." Wispily inked cartoons colored with loose washes depict both human and canine emotion with stylish panache. Alliterative text and calligraphic flair bring a pleasing polish to this empowering tale. An authors' note concludes. Ages 4–8. Authors' agent: Janine Kamouh, William Morris Endeavor. Illustrator's agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright Agency.
