I must admit, this wasn't for me. I wasn't jibing with the drawing style, which, in a silent picture book is not ideal. I wish there had been more variety in the scenes of trees etc. It felt a bit repetitive to me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gorgeous, thought-provoking story told in pictures. This is the life of a pencil, and all the places it goes, told through bright, detailed illustrations. I enjoyed the questions at the back encouraging readers to think about other common items and their life cycle.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

⭐️ 5/5
Publication Date: March 18, 2025
Children’s Wordless Picture Book

This was a beautiful, wordless picture book full of detailed, colorful, impactful illustrations of what the life cycle of a pencil could look like. I appreciated the “How to Read This Book” section at the end too for teachers/care givers to use as a guide when going through the book with children. This was helpful when going through the book with my 4-year old daughter.
I admire what this book can offer, helping little ones build their creativity. I look forward to recommending this to my parent friends and daughter’s teachers and educators.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Astra Publishing House, and Toon Books for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a beautifully illustrated book! The pictures are so aesthetically designed and the colors so vivid.
I especially liked the idea of a wordless book which will inspire my younger elementary school students to eagerly pick this book up and let their imaginations run wild. For those of my more advanced readers, the section entitled "How to Read a Silent Book" provides a backdrop for enriching their reading experience.
It's a sweet story that lends itself to providing a creative and satisfying reading encounter.

Some people may have never read a silent book before so I appreciate the "How to Read a Silent Book" section at the end..
This is a BEAUTIFULLY illustrated book with magical story telling through the imagery. The storytelling is creative and the colour so vibrant and attractive for a young audience!

A nice way for children to learn a creative interpretation of the life-cyle of a pencil.

Thank you NetGalley, Astra Publishing House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a beautifully illustrated wordless picture book! This story shows us how a pencil is created by showing us the tree, then going to the factory, to the store, and then finally back to a tree. It makes one appreciate and really see how nature is around us and what it can become.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are mine.

I got a digital copy of the book via NetGalley and loved the book. I loved the concept and the images which are a part of the book are nicely done and explains the lifecycle of a pencil. Really loved reading this.

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. I love a wordless picture book, especially one like this that says so much with so little. It’s the life cycle of a pencil. Great for early readers as they can tell you the story and helps create good future reading skills.

Pencil is such a delightful, wordless picture book. The cover had me at green. Green is my favorite color and I was drawn to the cover and the message. The illustrations were colorful and detailed. From the trees to the pencil making factor to the store that sold the pencil, I was was struck by every line, swirl, and color. Despite being about the process of making a pencil, the illustrations paint a picture about being aware of our environment and where our products come from. Without the grandiose statement of human’s need to take care of earth, the growth of a future pencil, the use of the pencil, and it’s return to earth reminds us to recycle what we claim from our environment.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a silent book, no words, just pictures. The pictures are fabulous and very nice to look at, but I struggled to understand at times. I do feel that by adding the authors words to this book, it would help those that don't understand a silent book. This could be great for creativity in children, but this is not a book that I would gravitate to. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This book was beautifully illustrated and had a good message. Typically I am not a fan of silent, wordless picture books, but was pleasantly surprised with this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For more reviews and discussions, listen to my podcast The Honest Book Reviewers with Nate and Emma.

https://open.spotify.com/show/3H3ugH4xlzvjMXuUo1Lyvh?si=ewdzfkUnSVKyDmAvHMHIPQ

Without a single word, this picture book traces a pencil from the forest to an artist drawing a picture of a forest with colored pencils. Sounds simple, but Hye-Eun Kim’s detailed pencil illustrations speak a thousand words. There’s even instructions for how to read a “silent book.” Five stars, for sure.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Astra Publishing House and TOON Books in exchange for an honest review.

This is a whimsical wordless story with beautiful, colorful illustrations. I liked the quiet pacing of the wordless story, as well as watching the pencil go full circle. I may have appreciated the story and themes more as an adult that my preschooler did, but she still was mesmerized by the illustrations and she enjoyed telling her own interpretation of the story. Excited to read this again and again.

Pencil is a spare yet rich little exploration of (on a concrete level) where pencils come from, and (on a more abstract level) how creation is part of an endless cycle of taking and giving back. Through beautiful and fitting colored pencil illustrations, we see pencil shavings turn into tree sprouts, which grow into forests before being chopped down and brought to a factory where they are made into pencils and brought to stores. From there, an unnamed child protagonist begins to draw tree sprouts, then trees growing, then a forest-- and so the cycle begins again.

This is a fine example of a wordless picture book, with a concept rich enough to carry readers along even without text to guide them. I was particularly delighted to find the brief "How to read a silent book" text at the end, which guides readers who may be unfamiliar with wordless picture books as to how they can engage with and narrate the story, for both themselves and others. These tips would apply to any wordless picture book, so this would be a nice addition to a collection that already contains others.

Thank you NetGalley, Astra Publishing House, and Hye-Eun Kim for the early access copy of Pencil.

Pencil is a wordless picture book showing the life cycle of a pencil and the beauty of its creations. The illustrations are beautifully drawn pencil art that has a gripping colour palate. The story can be used as a tool to teach interpretation, reflection, and the lifecycle of a product. With a description on how to read a wordless picture book. This would be an amazing addition to any school library.

I have not read a silent story in such a long time. If you choose to read this one, there's a beautiful guide at the end on how to read a silent book - I would read this first with my family or a class. There's even a challenge on how a book could be made with other everyday used items which I think would be an incredibly powerful assignment to do with students. I think the illustrations in this book are incredibly gorgeous and make a powerful statement.

This story follows the story of a pencil from how its made to how it can be recycled back into nature. The pencil drawings are incredible. I cannot describe it here in any sort of way that would do it justice.

If you LOVE picture books, trees and colored pencils, this is the picture book for you! If you are looking for something new and creative to do in the classroom, this would pair really well with the book with no pictures to make a fun lesson on both styles.