The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau

In Paris, the Royal Palace is holding an art contest, and artists from all over the city are bringing their pictures to compete for the big prize. Felix Clousseau, an unknown artist, brings his painting of a duck, which everyone laughs at until it quacks and walks out of the painting. Unbelievable!

Clousseau wins the art contest and is declared a genius, but trouble soon starts as the real life nature of Clousseau’s painting starts to take hold: a python escapes from its painting with almost deadly results, and a volcano erupts. It’s too much for Paris, so Clousseau is sent to prison and all of his paintings confiscated. That is, all except one…

Like Agee’s The Wall in the Middle of the Book, The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau operates as both a fun story and a philosophical premise. This time, on one hand, there’s a fun story about paintings coming to life, and on the other, a thoughtful look at what people want from art, and what they don’t. The ending is also a surprise and will make kids do a double take in a good way, having to look at the book all over again.