Mr. Pine is a sign-painter, and in his picture books, he has funny adventures with the things he paints.

I think the best-known book in the series is Mr. Pine’s Purple House. I remember reading it as a kid, and for years, I didn’t even know that there were other books in the series.

The author and illustrator of the series, Leonard Kessler, also used to be a part-time sign painter when he was a senior in high school.

Books in the Series

Mr. Pine’s Mixed-Up Signs (1961)

Mr. Pine paints all kinds of signs, but he runs into trouble when he hangs up all the signs while he’s not wearing his glasses.

Mr. Pine’s Purple House (1965)

Mr. Pine wants his house to look different from all his neighbors’ houses, but everyone else copies his good ideas.

Mrs. Pine Takes a Trip (1966)

Mrs. Pine goes to visit her sister, and Mr. Pine says that he’ll take care of the house while she’s gone, but that turns out to be much harder than he expects.

Paint Me a Picture, Mr. Pine (1972)

Mr. Pine takes a day off of painting signs to paint a picture.

Mr. Pine’s Storybook (1986)

A collection of stories about Mr. Pine’s adventures.