Donaldson delights with a new direction, 6 Jun 2003

“The Magic Paintbrush” carries on this tradition, but is altogether different. This time the illustration duties fall to Joel Stewart, instead of Donaldson’s long-time collaborator Axel Scheffler.

Stewart’s beautifully stylised illustrations bring a fresh and timeless feel to the story. It could appeal to a much older child than the bulk of Donaldson’s work, although younger readers will also be delighted.

The story itself is wonderfully simple and inventive. Shen, a young Chinese girl, is given an enchanted paintbrush – everything she paints becomes real. Without giving the story away, Shen cleverly puts the paintbrush to good use, refusing to let it be used by greedy people.

Like “The Smartest Giant in Town”, “Room on the Broom” and “The Gruffalo”, Donaldon’s message is handled with a light touch. Children don’t feel patronised and parents don’t feel they’re hammering home a point. After all, bedtime is for winding down – not moralising.

If you’re a fan of the author, please bear in mind that this story doesn’t use humour in the same way as her other books. That’s not to say there aren’t funny moments – but the overall feeling is that you’re reading a timeless fable rather than a modern “entertainment”.

Just three days in, it’s already destined to become a favourite in our household.

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Lovely, 7 Mar 2005

By	J. E. Davidson (UK) - See all my reviews

The book is another very good book from Julia Donaldson but is quite different in style and content from the books that made her name - Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, Smartest Giant in Town etc

This time the illustrations are by Joel Stewart, rather than Axel Scheffler. In many ways the illustrations are even better than usual: they are beautiful and will appeal to children of all ages but they do not have the humour of Scheffler's work.

The story itself is wonderfully simple and engaging (as I read it I wondered if it was based on a traditional folk tale). As usual (for Donaldson) the story is told in verse with a simple rhyming scheme and a great rhythm that makes it a joy to read aloud.

For me, this book never hits the magical heights of her best work but it is still a wonderful book. It still satisfies the younger readers but it also appeals to a much older child.

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