The Little Paintbrush

April 1, 2014

Gr 2-4-A little paintbrush wants nothing more than to be used by his artist. But the other brushes, who have already been painted masterpieces, belittle him and throw him out of the art cabinet. When a thief creeps into the studio to steal the artist's work, the little paintbrush teams up with a broom, using his size to his advantage, and sneaks into his artist's bedroom through a small keyhole to awaken the man, Edvard Munch. Munch chases off the thief and is then inspired to use the little paintbrush to create his greatest masterpiece, The Scream. Hansen's cartoon style-dark inking with gothic imagery-is beautifully detailed with rich texture but makes this lighthearted tale seem dark, even frightening, at times (the paintbrush is worried about getting eaten by rats; the other brushes tell him that the painter will break his back). Even worse, it hardly mirrors the colorful and haunting beauty of Munch's artwork. And with only two footnotes and no author's note to provide further information, this title doesn't really succeed as an introduction to an important artist. Consider something like D. B. Johnson's Magritte's Marvelous Hat (Houghton Harcourt, 2012), which better matches the artist's style while still creating an entertaining story.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

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