Dadaji's Paintbrush
by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane
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.
Type: Picture Book
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover
Publication: August 30, 2022
ISBN: 978-164614-172-2
Praise
CARNEGIE MEDAL FINALIST
BEST OF THE YEAR
Chicago Public Library · School Library Journal · Five Books
★ “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)
★ “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
About Rashmi Sirdeshpande
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.
About Ruchi Mhasane
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.
