The Magic Paintbrush by Julia Donaldson

For the first two weeks of this Spring term we are focussing on the book “The Magic Paintbrush” by Julia Donaldson. Magic Paintbrush retells an old Chinese folk story. Shen, a girl from a poor Chinese village, draws pictures in the sand when send by her family to gather oysters for supper. A mysterious man gives her a magic paintbrush: everything painted with the brush will come to life. But the brush comes with a warning: she is never to paint for wealthy folk, and only for the poor. And so she does, painting first the supper for her family, and then things of necessity for the villagers. Eventually, the Emperor hears of her and her magic brush and orders her to paint him a tree growing coins. Shen refuses and is thrown into jail. Will she get out? Will she defend her village from the Emperor's wrath?