Dadaji's paintbrush

Title:

Dadaji's paintbrush

Author:

Summary:

Once, in a tiny village in India, there was a young boy who loved to paint. He lived with his grandfather, who taught him to paint with his fingers, to make paints from marigolds and brushes made from jasmine flowers. Sometimes, the village children would watch them painting together, and the boy's grandfather would invite them to join in. They didn't have much, but they had each other. After his grandfather dies, the boy notices a little box wrapped in string with a note that read: 'From Dadaji, with love,' with his grandfather's best paintbrush tucked away inside. But he feels he will never want to paint again. Will the boy overcome his grief and find joy in painting and his dadaji's memory again? -- Provided by publisher.

Audience:

000-005.

General Note:

"Originally published in the U.K. by Andersen Press"--Page facing title page.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 27 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Subject Term:

Grandparent and child -- Juvenile fiction.

Grandfathers -- Death -- Juvenile fiction.

Grief -- Juvenile fiction.

Painting -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Mhasane, Ruchi,

Publisher:

Levine Querido,

Publication Date:

2022

ISBN:

9781646141722

Publication Information:

Montclair : Levine Querido, 2022.

Call Number:

P SIRDESHPANDE

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003647818	New Picture Books	SIRDESHPANDE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

BEST OF THE YEAR

Chicago Public Library · School Library Journal · Five Books

Carnegie Medal Finalist

Once, in a tiny village in India, there was a young boy who loved to paint. He lived with his grandfather, who taught him to paint with his fingers, to make paints from marigolds and brushes made from jasmine flowers. Sometimes, the village children would watch them painting together, and the boy's grandfather would invite them to join in.

They didn't have much, but they had each other.

After his grandfather dies, the boy notices a little box wrapped in string with a note that read: "From Dadaji, with love," with his grandfather's best paintbrush tucked away inside. But he feels he will never want to paint again.

Will the boy overcome his grief and find joy in painting and his dadaji's memory again?

A lushly illustrated tale of love, art, and family.

P R A I S E

★ "Extraordinary. This book stands out for the depth of its wise messages, and its gentle, evocative art."

-- School Library Journal (starred)

★ "Perfect for an art class, a read-aloud session at a library or for sharing with a child who has recently lost a loved one."

-- Shelf-Awareness (starred)

"This story of familial love and the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren wraps readers in a tight hug... A gentle, reassuring reminder that love lives on long after death."

-- Kirkus

"A moving tribute to the role of mentors and memory in a young artist's life, as well as to what "time and attention" can bring about."

-- Publishers Weekly

"Explores the pain of losing a grandparent and the quiet joy of coming to see the legacy the person has left."

--Wall Street Journal

Author Notes

Ruchi Mhasane is an artist and illustrator who studied Children's Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art, UK. She works mostly in pencil and watercolor; in her art she enjoys capturing expressive gestures and movements, especially those of little children, and loves adding hints of fantasy and the natural world. In her spare time, she enjoys the company of books, wildlife, music, and quite often, solitude. She currently lives and works in India.

Former lawyer Rashmi Sirdeshpande is an award-winning British Indian children's author who writes hopeful and uplifting picture books and illustrated non-fiction. Her debut picture book, Never Show a T-Rex a Book , illustrated by Diane Ewen, won a Society of Authors award, was shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Book awards, and was selected for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Rashmi is also one of the official authors for World Book Day UK 2022, which seeks to get books into the hands of children all over the UK. Dadaji's Paintbrush , illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane, is her first lyrical story and draws on her Indian roots.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 3--Some big ideas float effortlessly through these sweet watercolor pages: love between grandparent and child; acceptance of mistakes, loss, and change; life's small pleasures; and the life-enhancing gifts of sharing and teaching. Southwestern India, or the state of Goa, is suggested through hints of architecture and color-splashed flourishes of vegetation; the characters sit on the floor, using a vintage floor-desk. A boy and his devoted grandfather grow and give away mangoes and bananas, make paper boats for the village children, and read and paint together. No other family members are mentioned, and though the older man has promised never to leave, "One day, he did." The boy, perhaps ten, is bereft (here, gray-washed spreads prevail), and locks away all evidence of painting. But after some time has passed, a small girl asks him to teach her, and soon the house is again filled with children, colors, and happiness. The boy, readers understand, knows that his grandfather did not really break his promise. VERDICT An extraordinary work for every shelf; subtle and poetically less direct than other works in its treatment of death, this book stands out for the depth of its wise messages, and its gentle, evocative art.--Patricia Lothrop

Publisher's Weekly Review

A boy lives with his beloved grandfather, Dadaji, in a "tiny village in India." They do everything together, but mostly they paint, and their love for the medium draws other children in. Bespectacled, mustachioed Dadaji is an indelible character, exuding grace, wisdom, and a quiet energy; after he departs, the boy locks away all the art materials, including Dadaji's finest paintbrush, and disconnects from the world. When a girl appears at his doorstep insisting on painting lessons, though, inspiration is rekindled. The boy reconnects with his talents, his love of painting, and, most importantly, the spirit of Dadaji. Via Sirdeshpande's restrained but deeply empathic narrative voice and Mhasane's digitally enhanced colored pencil and pastel pictures, which capture light in almost incandescent colors, this proves a moving tribute to the role of mentors and memory in a young artist's life, as well as to what "time and attention" can bring about. An author's note discusses the book's beginnings. Ages 4--8. (Aug.)