- Picture Books
- Ages 4–8
- Fairy Tales
The Magic Paintbrush
Part of the Julia Donaldson universeOpen the collection
A more serious, fable-like Donaldson picture book based on a traditional Chinese tale about art, justice and resisting greed.
- Best for4–8
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Rhyming
- Lyrical
- Literary
Tone
- Inspirational
- Thought provoking
- Adventurous
- Warm
- Suspenseful
Themes
- Creativity and imagination
- Fairness and justice
- Courage
- Power and authority
- Poverty and hardship
- Responsibility
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Shen is a poor girl who loves to draw. When she is given a magic paintbrush, everything she paints becomes real, but she promises to use the gift only to help poor people. Her beautiful, practical creations bring food, animals and hope to those who need them, until a greedy emperor hears of the brush and wants its power for himself. The Magic Paintbrush is a different kind of Donaldson book: less comic romp, more traditional tale in verse, with a strong moral spine about integrity and the corruption of power. Joel Stewart's illustrations give the story a distinctive visual tone, helping it feel closer to folklore than to the bouncy Scheffler canon. It is valuable here because it adds cultural breadth, art-making and social justice themes, but the hardship and authoritarian threat make it a touch more intense than the gentlest Donaldson picture books.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 4–8
- Read aloud · 4–8
- Independent · 6–9
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: poverty or hardship.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Traditional tale
- Art magic
- Justice
- Strong girl
- Thoughtful read aloud
Avoid if
- Very sensitive to hardship
- Wants light comedy
- Prefers scheffler style comedy
Particularly good for children who are…
- Interested in art and creativity
- Religious or cultural celebration
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A rhyming Donaldson retelling of a Chinese folk tale — a join-in read-aloud and a companion for traditional tales from around the world.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is the emperor — Shen given a brush whose paintings come to life, promising to use it only to help the poor, the greedy emperor demanding she paint him riches and getting exactly what he asked for. The Donaldson retelling of the traditional Chinese tale.
- Magic powers
- Making a difference
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The Donaldson / Joel Stewart picture book — fable in verse rather than comic Scheffler romp, watercolour painterly tone closer to folklore. Integrity-and-power-corrupting moral spine. Useful for cultural breadth and social-justice conversations; touch more intense than the gentlest Donaldsons.
- Conversation starter
- Beautiful illustrations
- Educational for adult too
- Great writing
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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