Singing along with Julie Andrews while she rehearsed for “My Fair Lady” was one of her dog Shy’s favorite things. Andrews was performing eight shows a week in London in the late 1950s, so every day she’d play her piano to run scales and vocalize — and the grey poodle felt it should be a duet.

“It was adorable,” Andrews said. “She’d lift her little chin and nose and just really gargle away in a real proper note. Eventually — it was adorable but very distracting — she could actually come down the scale as I came down the scale.”

If Andrews tried putting her dog in another room of their apartment, she’d spy Shy’s little nose poking under the door until she relented and let the spirited dog rejoin rehearsal.

Her constant companion also frequently accompanied Andrews to the theater when it was showtime.

“Funnily enough, the show and the music from the show and all of that didn't bother her. Of course, she stayed in the dressing room and had her own little cushion there,” she recalled. “She was a very sweet little girl. She was an all-around terrific little character.”

Now Shy is a character in the forthcoming picture book Shy , which Andrews co-wrote with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton . The two have collaborated on over 35 books, primarily written for children.

Julie Andrews And Her Daughter Emma Walton Hamilton Co-Author Shy

During a Zoom interview, the rapport between mother and daughter was readily apparent. Andrews — whose name appeared on the screen as “Julie Edwards” in an apparent tribute to her late husband, Blake Edwards — often called her daughter “Darling” in between shared laughter and smiles.

Their passion for their latest book project was also abundantly clear.

“The real Shy predates me, but that story sort of became family lore,” Hamilton said. “I’d heard that story growing up and when we were casting about for new picture book ideas, somehow that memory surfaced and we thought, ‘Oh, maybe there’s a way we can use the seed of that idea but push it a bit further.’”

In the book Shy , which launches August 11, Shy is feeling stressed staying in a noisy animal shelter. When a kindred spirit decides to adopt the dog, he brings Shy home and frequently plays the piano, which helps Shy find her voice.

“Of course, if you’re going to write a picture book about a singing dog, you need to have her end up at Carnegie Hall. That goes without saying,” Hamilton said with a laugh. “So we departed a bit from the true story of Shy in the picture book version.”

But thematically, it wasn’t much of a departure, since Andrews estimates about 80% of their books have an arts theme in some way, and typically advocate for young people.

“A lot of our books are about being able to be one’s authentic self and make a mark in the world even if you’re small,” Hamilton said.

“Find what you love to do,” Andrews added.

“Find what you love to do and share it with the world,” Hamilton agreed.

Collaboration For Picture Book Shy

The mother and daughter love writing books and sharing them with the world. Hamilton said they “adore” their publisher, Abrams Books, and were delighted for the chance to collaborate with illustrator Eva Byrne on Shy .

They’d been hoping to work with an illustrator with a loose line drawing style reminiscent of the work of Ludwig Bemelmans in the classic picture book Madeline. They greatly admired Byrne’s work, including the art she created for the picture book Along Came Coco: A Story About Coco Chanel .

“Eva was very collaborative and she sent sketches and we were allowed to give feedback and were allowed to request the type of look that Shy might have and so forth,” Hamilton said. “And so we're really grateful to her for her contribution.”

They’re also grateful to the dogs — past and present — with whom they’ve shared their lives. Andrews grew up primarily with corgis, so Shy was her first poodle — but not her last. Her current dog, Barney, is a senior poodle who is “as sprightly as ever” on walks. She’s still grieving the loss of Button, a beloved poodle who died in her arms just before Christmas.

Hamilton shares her mother’s love of dogs and has a 5-year-old Bernadoodle named Lola and a 15-month-old goldendoodle named Harry. She loves the way dogs help keep her in the moment — sometimes even nosing her phone out of her hand when it’s time to play.

Ultimately, Andrews finds the companionship of a dog both inspiring and irresistible.

“I can't imagine a home without one now. I really can't,” she said. “They give unconditional love. They do. And the house feels empty without a dog somehow. I just think they're the best companions.”