The Magic Paintbrush

Julia Donaldson

Macmillan Children's Books, 2003 - Juvenile Fiction - 22 pages

An inspirational read from the master of story-telling.With her magic paintbrush, Shen can paint steaming pots full of fish and oysters to feed the hungry people in her village. When the evil emperor commands Shen to paint gold for him, she is determined to keep her promise to paint only for the poor.In The Magic Paintbrush, Julia Donaldson's vibrant verse and Joel Stewart's beautiful illustrations bring fresh life to a traditional tale of how a little girl's integrity can withstand the corruption of power and greed.

About the author

Julia Catherine Donaldson was born on Sept. 16, 1948 in London. She is a British writer and playwright and the 2011-2013 Children's Laureate. She is known for her rhyming stories for children. These include: The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and Stick Man. She began writing songs for children's television but has focused on writing books when the words of one of her songs - A Squash and a Squeeze were made into a children's book in 1993. She has over 180 published works with 120 of them intended for school use and include her Songbirds phonic reading scheme, which is part of the Oxfird Reading Tree. She has won several awards including: The Stockport Book Award for her title The Troll, The Oxfordshire Book Award for her title Zog and The Oldham Book Award for her title Jack and the Flumflum Tree. In 2015 The Gruffalo made The New Zealand Best Seller List.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Magic Paintbrush; Macmillan Children's books; Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge
• Author: Julia Donaldson
• Illustrated by: Joel Stewart
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books, 2003
• ISBN: 0333964438, 9780333964439
• Length: 22 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Fiction / Art; Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic; Juvenile Fiction / General; Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / Asian; Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Values & Virtues