Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Lumpito and the Painter from Spain
Illustrator: Dean Griffiths
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 8
Pajama Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-1927485002
Lump was a dachshund who lived in Rome with a photographer called David and a dog called Big Dog. Unfortunately, Big Dog and Lump were not friends. Big Dog liked to steal Lump’s food and every night poor Lump slept “with one eye open because he was afraid of what Big Dog might do.”
One day David announced that he and Lump were going to meet a famous painter. David had a small car and after it was loaded with all his cameras and other equipment, there was only room for one small dog. Together David and Lump drove to a beautiful villa in the south of France where Lump met a famous painter called Pablo Picasso.
Just a few minutes after arriving at the villa, another dog turned up. Another dog that was bigger than Lump. It was going to be Big Dog situation all over again and Lump was determined that he was not going to let this larger dog “push him around.” Lump needn’t have worried. The dog, Yan, wanted to be friends and had no interest in bullying Lump.
The painter decided to called Lump Lumpito, and he shared his fish lunch with the little dog. Picasso also lay in the grass with Lumpito and rubbed his tummy. In the evening he held Lumpito in his arms, and together they looked up at the stars. The painter and the dog were delightfully content when they were together.
Every so often a human and a dog meet and they are friends from that moment on. This was what happened when Picasso met a little dachshund called Lump. A special connection developed between them, and for Lump, and probably for the famous painter as well, it was a friendship full of joy.
With a wonderful story and lovely illustrations, this book serves as a tribute to friendship and it will charm readers of all ages.
