The Magic Paintbrush

This handsomely produced picture book tells the story of a girl in ancient China who loves to draw. As she sits, lost in her doodles in the sand, she is given a magic brush by a stranger. Now, everything that the girl paints comes to life, and her family no longer wants for fish, shrimps or oysters. But of course the evil emperor has other plans…

Donaldson is well known, especially for the award-winning The Gruffalo. Stewart is a former winner of the Macmillan Prize for Children’s Book Illustration. The text and imagery here seem to flow together seamlessly. Stewart’s illustrations nicely pastiche Chinese graphic art traditions without compromising his own stylistic identity. The attention to production detail, such as the slightly heavier than normal parchment-like paper, makes this an attractive addition to the bookshelf.