When Ally and her mom travel to Australia, they meet Pauline, an artist. During their visit, Ally shares her paintings with Pauline but is embarrassed by some of the mistakes she has made. Pauline praises Ally's work and tells her that mistakes often lead to great discoveries. Throughout the book, Ally and her mom visit much of the Australian Outback, learning many new things about Australian animals and the native land. Ally learns from Pauline that her paintings are a way to to experiment and a way to dream. ( )