Best Spot to Pee in NYC

Hyesu Lee is an illustrator, cartoonist, and muralist originally from South Korea and now living and working in Brooklyn. She collaborates with clients across various platforms, including murals, editorial illustrations, advertising, and packaging. Hyesu also contributes regular comics to newspapers and teaches illustration at The School of Visual Arts and The Fashion Institute of Technology. Her rescue dog, Dutch, serves as her constant muse and best friend for the past six years. Together, they bring creativity and inspiration to the world of art.

Nine-year-old Su walks her poodle, Dutch, through New York, “pawsing” at some popular landmarks. The author biography hints that this South Korean import is inspired by Lee’s actual dog, though the real Dutch is probably neither magenta nor the size of an elephant. Still, this larger-than-life portrayal certainly makes him easy to spot. Su responds to his urgent request for relief with a meandering walk that takes the two from the city’s longest slide on Governor’s Island to the dino skeletons and blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History. But her repeated “How about right here?” is invariably met with some objection—the Empire State Building is too high, the Statue of Liberty is watching (it is, too, with a comically forbidding stare), Times Square is too bright—until, at last, a tree outside their apartment proves the perfect spot to let go. “YESSS! SOOOO GOOD!” Though this may not be a comprehensive guide for tourists, Lee’s itinerary includes some favorites such as the renowned children’s bookstore Books of Wonder and Joe’s Pizza; her street and subway scenes likewise capture local flavor with only slight exaggeration, being populated with anthropomorphic figures of several species in hues from around the color wheel. Likely a stand-in for the South Korea–born author, Su is pink-skinned, dark-haired, and freckled. Comments at the end about each stop don’t mention restrooms for humans but do identify which are “dog-friendly.” A hilarious romp through the Big Apple. (Picture book. 5-7)