The Magic Paintbrush

This a a wonderful version of the story. My year 1/2 class loved it. They really engaged with the story and the rhythm. We did a lot of work around this story.

The rhymes are great and the pictures are amazing. it's so magical! Highly recommend! 5/5 stars 👍

I am a retired Infant Teacher and I first came across this story published as a Ladybird book, and my pupils always enjoyed it. I now have a 5 year old grand-daughter who is half Chinese, so I was delighted to find this Julia Donaldson version, especially as she is a big fan of the author. The big difference is that the main character is now female and so is easier for her to identify with. My daughter-in-law thinks It is a traditional Chinese tale. It is a lovely story, beautifully told and the illustrations are excellent. In my many years teaching very young children I read many, many stories aloud. I obviously had a few favourites, and this was one of them.

Great gift for kids. Introduce young children to other cultures.

I wasn't aware about this story from Julia Donaldson until recently and what a great story it is. Told in a poetic style with classical illustrations it's a timeless classic. I would suggest for an older child, perhaps 6+ but really beautiful. It tells the story of Shen who receives a magical paintbrush with instructions to paint for the poor as the paintings come to life. Her challenges when faced with fame and power and her ability to use her talent to change outcomes. Buy it, it's one for your library.

The texture of the cover is lovely. The tempo of the story is gentle with a lovely message about keeping your promises and doing the right 'thing'. The illustrations are beautiful but perhaps could have been a little more vibrant in places to accentuate parts of the story to enthrall younger readers. My little one did not like the story upon first reading BUT, I think this maybe, because the book does not bounce along without a villan (the Emperor) however this very much tempered by the delightful magic paint brush. I think this book will be a 'grower' as my little one grows.

A lovely story with beautiful illustrations - don’t know why this isn’t a more well known book of Julia Donaldson’s!

This book was bigger and better than I was expecting! Retail price on back cover is £7.99 so really good for money. Story is beautiful and could be story book or used as a stimulus for art work. Extremely pleased.