The Boy Who Painted Wallpaper

The Boy Who Painted Wallpaper, written and illustrated by Mark Rubin, is my favorite children’s book. It’s a story about being an artist told through the eyes of a little boy that loves nothing more than to paint wallpaper. The squiggly line quality in Rubin’s drawings and the spare use of color (reserved only for the boy’s paintings), are as lovely and appropriate as the true childlike sentiment of his thoughts and words. If it wasn’t out of print, I would gift this book to every creative person, parent and child I know. Here are some favorite spreads from a (very old) edition we have.

— Carissa