Once upon a time, there was a gloomy, dreary kingdom where the inhabitants spent their days in silence and sorrow.
The king of this dismal realm cares about only one thing: eating ice cream in front of the TV. Like any proper fairy tale, the king has a daughter — naturally kept locked away until she’s old enough not to choose whom to marry. She’s been promised to the dreadful chamberlain. Across from the princess’s room is the studio of the painter Luco Pax, who is hopelessly in love with her. Everything changes with the arrival of a magical paintbrush. With it, Luco’s painted characters come to life, creating chaos in the kingdom and ultimately leading to a happy ending — a love story that touches something deep within all of us.
Storia dell’arte won the “fiction” prize at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 1999. This is yet another title by Paul Cox, whose complete works we are proud to be publishing.
- having fun exploring the consequences of an action;
- reflecting on the meaning of ‘freedom’;
- learning to observe both the book and the world around us.
