The wordless picture book "Pencil" by Hye-Eun Kim" folllows the journey of a pencil. The illustrations tell the tale from tree to pencil. The end shows directions of "how to read a silent book". For Grades Kindergarten to 3rd grade.

This is a beautifully illistrated book. The story is sweet, growth and connection. The art allows for significant interpretation of the story and you can return to time and time again. Each page is filled with the tiny gorgeous details that make it worth returning to notice new moments on every page. The "How to read a silent book' is a wonderout addition that allows for space to learn and grow together with the shared readers.

Hye-Eun Kim’s wordless picture book, Pencil, takes the reader on a journey of a pencil from its start in the forest to its life as a creative instrument. Pencil shavings forming a tree begin the story, which soon depicts a vibrant forest. Trees are then harvested while birds flee the forest, and scenes of a factory producing coloured pencils follow. To finish the story, a girl selects a pencil from a store, and by adding to the cut trunks of trees she draws a new forest. She plants the pencil at the conclusion, which begins the cycle again. Kim’s imaginative take on the life of a pencil and the environmental impact of manufacturing are expressed through colourful illustrations of the forest and pencils compared to the gray tones and polluted plumes of the factory. Children are sure to notice the contrast of the two, but also the promising mood of the pencil being planted at the end. This book offers many excellent opportunities to explore narrative writing, art, and resources and the environment in the classroom. As a wordless book, it is accessible to every reader making it a worthwhile addition to a public or school library. Thank you to Astra Publishing House for providing this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is a gorgeously, illustrated wordless picture book that follows the lifecycle of a pencil, from tree to the store shelves, and then into the hands of an artist who creates whole worlds with the magical potential inside the humble pencil.
As a writer who creates books with a notepad and pencil as my story building tools, I have an intense appreciation for the power of a single pencil. I love the way that magical promise is captured in the illustrations of this book. Not a single word is necessary to tell this story. (They say a picture worth 1000 words, and this is a prime example!)

This is a Wordless (Picture) Children Book. I think the pictures in this book are beautifully illustrated, and that you can get the story about the pencil without words. I do think a story to go with the pictures would have made this book better. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

This wordless, reflective story retraces the journey of a simple, green pencil to its origins, while sensitively tapping into themes of human impact on nature. The pencil is first presented with its shavings taking shape as leaves, which then form the branches of a tree in a young forest that then becomes the magnificent home of a multitude of animals. A sudden shift in imagery shows a mixed flock of birds fleeing. The remains of their homes – freshly cut logs – are loaded onto a truck driving away to the smog-filled factories where colorful pencils are made. Next we see a child in an art store, selecting the same green pencil from the beginning of the story. She begins a journey, transforming the emptiness around her into a lush forest painting with her single pencil. Kim has created these pages of beautifully detailed artwork with graphite and colored pencil. The sequence delicately allows for the reading of the story to be accessible and unique to the reader’s interpretation, quietly offering something for all ages.

This is a very beautifully illustrated (in pencil) book about the life cycle of a pencil. There are no words to this book, which is important to note. There is a section in the back about "how to read a silent book" which would be helpful to read BEFORE "reading" this book to your children.

For anyone who may remember the iconic Harold and the Purple Crayon, this is a re-imagined wordless version in full color. Wordless books draw children into a thousand different versions of a story illustrated on the pages. A child can enjoy a wordless book on their own because they are not "missing out" on any words they cannot pronounce. Instead they are creating the story as they go. Having a caring "reader" to help guide discussion or ask a child what they think is happening is an excellent way to bond and reinforce oral language skills.

The opening shows a young girl leaving an art store with a pencil in hand. And how she uses that pencil is pure magic. Children will eagerly anticipate what comes next. There are so many beautiful details to explore visually. Children can imagine what came before the story began and what might happen after the book ends. There are elements of "I Spy" in the book with animals peeking out of a forest and I love the ending that defies logic. While whithin the pages of Pencil, a child's imagination and sense of wonder will be awakened. Older children will enjoy grabbing their own pencil and trying to copy the illustrations, making this a wonderful art study as well.

I highly recommend wordless books as a way to encourage children to narrate their own story and perhaps be inspired to create their own wordless books. I highly recommend Pencil for every public, school, or home library. This would make a fabulous gift in combination with colored pencils and a sketchbook--for those blank pages are the invitation to create another story!

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of Pencil from Astra Publishing House through NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

3.5 rating: I loved the illustrations and how they wove together from page to page nicely. I also think it's a neat idea to let the pictures do the talking but that means this would definitely have to be a story for older kids. The concepts in some of the drawings are maybe too obscure for littler ones to understand. I also loved the color pallet as an adult but for kids it might not be very eye catching.

Imaginative illustrations tell a wordless and wondrous story about where an everyday object came from, and what it might give back. This one leaves us lots to ponder.

Gorgeous illustrations, telling a lovely story of rebirth and growth. I love that there's information at the end about how to read a silent book, too!

Pencil by Hye-Eun Kim is a beautiful, reflective book with no dialogue but lots of ideas. I would definitely bring this picture book into my early elementary classroom and use it is a starting point to discuss a variety of Social Studies, Science, STEM and Art topics. I wish it was longer!

Pencil by Hye-Eun Kim is a beautifully illustrated book full of possibilities. It is great for children who are not quite reading yet. Another way I might incorporate it into my classroom is when we talk about having a growth mindset. A growth mindset is all about knowing that mistakes are ok and we can continue to learn a grow throughout our whole lives. I would use this as a writing prompt for a growth mindset discussion.

Some books don't need words. This is one of them. This thought-provoking reflective book about the life of a pencil and the circle of life is powerful and perfect for a classroom setting.

A wordless book that follows the creation of a pencil and its metaphorical return to the forest where it came from. This is a book that provides a full-circle look at the creation of a pencil. Though not exact about the process, it is more about the journey of the how the pencil, once created, is used to draw or "create" the forest that its wood was harvested from.

The drawings are beautiful, and I especially like that they were done with color pencils - a nice touch. I think this book would be best suited for ages 3-9, and I like that a child who can't read yet can look at and enjoy the book, as well as having it read to them.

Pencil
Hye-Eun Kim
Astra Publishing House

This is a delightful picture book with gorgeous illustrations. The title, Pencil drew me. No pun intended but it works. I like the thoughtful directions in the back on how to use the book. The book gives appreciation to everyday objects. Simple yet powerful, it’s a book to linger over. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to see the physical copy. Thank you to NetGallery and Astra Publishing House for the advanced digital copy.

Always astounded by the potency and vibrancy of a wordless picture book. This one benefits from a lovely set of instructions/guiding questions at the end that I will purchase the book for and use in my classroom. Illustrations are gorgeous as we follow the main character through sharpening her pencil and creating a beautiful world in art!! Have pre-ordered!!

A wordless picture book on the journey of a tree that becomes a pencil. The artwork is detailed and draws you in. I loved the birds from the forest and the creative coloring choices. The story is open to interpretation and leaves the reader reflecting on the world around them. Love the insights into reading a wordless picture book at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Astra Publishing House for providing me with a digital ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Pencil is a beautifully illustrated picture book, from the pencil shavings turning into leaves through pages of trees and factories, it is gorgeous. Each wordless page will spark the imagination of any child reading it to create their own story.

A simple, wordless picturebook filled with colored pencil drawings. It tracks the practical and imagined cycles of tree to pencil, pencil to tree and people to nature, nature to people. The drawings are beautiful. The self-directed story has shades of Where the Wild Things are and the child depicted drawing the world evokes Harold and the Purple Crayon.

This would be a great book to spark discussion, to occupy a child during quiet time, or wind down for bed.

Thank you to Astra House for an advanced copy.