I enjoyed Marcus Pfister’s picture book (2025 in Switzerland, 2026 in English) My Friend the Paintbrush: The Colorful World of Marcus Pfister a lot more than I expected to.
I say this for three reasons. First, though Pfister has published over 60 books, I’m most familiar with The Rainbow Fish…and that book had left me cold. Second, this is rhyming book that has been translated, which is often challenging. And third–shifting to the positives–I did enjoy this book. It is visually attractive: well-designed, colorful, and varied.
This books is a tour through Pfister’s career, dipping into the worlds and styles of a number of books. This tour is unified by the verses, which praise Phister’s friend the paintbrush in lively rhyme and with considerable variety.
If you like picture book art, or have enjoyed one of Pfister’s many books, you’ll enjoy this.
