Dadaji's Paintbrush
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
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"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 Reviews
[STAR] "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." -- School Library Journal (starred)
"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
""This book honors the complicated feelings of grief while offering hope and solace." -- The Horn Book"
"Explores the pain of losing a grandparent and the quiet joy of coming to see the legacy the person has left."--Wall Street Journal
[STAR] "Sirdeshpande and Mhasane pay homage to the intense love felt by grandparents and grandchildren and demonstrate the importance of art and passing skills from one generation to another. This heartfelt picture book is 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)
"Mhasane's soft illustrations, which capture light and shadows in especially evocative ways, enhance the gentle themes of this exquisite story, but never do they veer into excessive sentimentality."--Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
"This is a masterpiece--a beautiful story of a sacred bond between a grandparent and a grandchild. It encapsulates so many things: adoration, passion, community, loss, and restoration. Children who do, as well as those who don't, have special relationships with their own grandparents will be touched by Dadaji's Paintbrush. Those experiencing grief will benefit from its positive and inspiring message as well." --San Francisco Book Review
"A lovely picture book about the universal bond between children and grandparents." -- Five Books, Best Books of 2022
Best of the Year, Bank Street College
