'Unforgettable' Philip Pullman

'Lyrical, magical, tender and true' Michael Morpurgo

'Beautiful' The Times

Long, long ago, a boy lies confined by sickness to his windowless bedchambers. He can never experience the outside world, never breathe fresh air nor feel the warmth of the sun on his skin. So, to comfort the ailing boy, his doting father summons a painter to embellish his rooms with beautiful murals.

Soon there is a fabulous world on the walls - a colourful, shifting landscape peopled by shepherds and lovers, criss-crossed by armies and pirate ships. As the boy's health fades, the artist works on, turning the simple commission into a miraculous act of love. But can he show this child the richness and beauty of life with nothing but paints and brushes?

Part of the new Pushkin Children's Classics series of thrilling, magical and inspiring stories from around the world, which young readers will return to time and again.

Translated by Leah Janeczko

Born in 1947, Roberto Piumini is Italy's foremost living author of children's stories. His books are found in every Italian bookshop and school and have been translated into many languages across the world. He received the Rodari Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 and has been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award three times. Glowrushes was first published in 1987 and is considered his masterpiece.

Leah Janeczko is an Italian-to-English translator of fiction for readers of all ages. Born and raised near Chicago, she now lives in Milan, Italy. In 2024 she was longlisted for the International Booker Prize.