Madurer is the son of a great lord with untold wealth, but he is also the victim of a mysterious disease that means he cannot be exposed to sunlight or fresh air. Confined to three windowless rooms inside a palace, his doting father summons a famous artist to cover the walls of the rooms with paintings showing the world his son cannot experience for real. As the painter works on his murals, his relationship with the boy begins to deepen until they forge a firm friendship. How can he show this child the beauty of the world with only his paintbrush to work with?

"You see it, feel it, live it as you read. Lyrical, magical, tender and true, and deeply mysterious." - BookTrust Best Children's Books of the Year

"Very elegantly written... A beautiful novel" - Life and Art from FT Weekend

"A masterpiece about a masterpiece, for all ages... Once in a great while a book comes along that's equally enthralling for children and the people they call grown-ups - a book playful and accessible enough to hold a young person's attention yet sufficiently resonant and complex to keep a seasoned reader turning its pages, sometimes even while fighting back tears" - New York Times

"A touching story of friendship... The perfect stocking-filler for thoughtful children... Beautiful" - The Times, Children's Book of the Week

"A great Turkish lord hires an artist to paint his sick son's rooms for his 11th birthday, and together the boy and the painter create walls of wondrous imaginary landscapes. It turns out that you don't have to travel outside your own room to inhabit new worlds... Reminds me of The Little Prince" - Spectator, Children's Books of the Year

"This elegant, moving novella is a classic of Italian children's literature, filled with understatedly exquisite, transporting prose." - The Guardian

"Half this story's beauty lies in the tenderness of the love that grows between its three central characters... The other half comes from the language. Each word is chosen and placed with reverent care, creating a rich, textured landscape that seems like the stuff of dreams given physical form. There's something utterly spellbinding about how gently, and inexorably, the story flows on toward a conclusion that's both heartbreaking and hopeful... An elegy, timeless and entrancing" - Kirkus, starred review

"Unforgettable and unputdownable. Highly recommended for upper KS2 and KS3" - School Reading List, Children's Book of the Month

"This modern Italian classic, written as a traditional fable in poetic prose, will transport readers, young and old alike, into an enchanting, magical bygone realm" - Words Without Borders Best Books of 2022

"I read this in one sitting as I could not put it down. A wonderful book about parental love, friendship, beauty, life and death. Read this one, you will not be disappointed." - ReadingZone