Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the opening spreads of this exquisitely drawn wordless story, a blade sharpens a green pencil, whose shavings drift down the page and become leaves. A page later, the view pulls back to reveal a growing forest of tiny, carefully etched trees, then a closely wooded paradise filled with animals. Soon, flocks of birds rise in agitation from the forest. Trees are felled; hauled to a gray, smoky city; and sent through a factory assembly line to make colored pencils. At an art store, a child buys another green pencil. Outside, beginning from the stumps of trees that have been chopped down, the child draws new trunks, branches, and leaves, until animals and birds begin to venture back and the forest is renewed. Lamenting the exploitation of trees and ecosystems, this spare, elegant narrative by Kim (Yellow Boxes, for adults) tells a larger story about the destruction of natural resources, seeding hope that the next generation will restore them. The child's skin tone takes the white of the page. Instructions for sharing silent books conclude. Ages 5--7. (Mar.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--5--A unique, elegant wordless book that portrays the transformation of trees into pencils. The narrative begins and ends with some artistic embellishment. On the first pages, a pencil is sharpened and the wood shavings magically become leaves that grow into a tree. This tree expands into a forest, which is subsequently sawed down. The logs are transported by truck to a dour, smoke-emitting factory. Inside, the trees are whittled into pencils and sold at an art supply store. A young girl, possibly a depiction of Kim, buys the pencil and draws a new tree. The cycle renews. The artwork--rendered in colored pencil, of course--is remarkably intricate. Virtually every color is employed in a way that feels vibrant and harmonious. The author makes deft use of almost every color in the box to depict trees, birds, and other living creatures, while the factory is portrayed as oppressive and gray. The grim factory and the young girl's act of redrawing trees onto their stumps, thus resurrecting them, implies a theme of conservation, which is muddled by the fact that the book itself is printed on paper and illustrated with tools made from felled trees. Back matter includes a list of tips for enjoying wordless picture books. VERDICT A fascinating contribution to the pantheon of informational wordless books.--Chance Lee Joyner
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A single pencil holds so much potential. The shavings from a freshly sharpened pencil turn into the newly formed leaves of a tree sapling. As time progresses, the tree becomes part of a thriving natural space, surrounded by other arboreal wonders. Eventually, several trees are cut down and shipped to an industrial factory belching soot into the air, where they're made into multicolored writing implements. In an art supply store, an East Asian--presenting child picks up one of these pencils from a wall of rainbow colors and embarks on a revelatory artistic journey. Originally published in South Korea, this impeccably told, wordless story is an enchanting tribute to the creative process and a celebration of patience and the natural world. Kim's vibrant art, rendered in colored pencil and marker, is minutely detailed, with delicate linework that prominently showcases both action and stillness. A spread depicting the trees being cut down as birds fly away packs the same emotional punch as the illustrations of the child quietly drawing a forest of trees that come to life--a metafictive twist that brings the tale full circle. The tale closes with tips on how to read a wordless book that speak to the importance of creating space for children to engage with works like this one. A stunning ode to the natural world and the cyclical nature of imagination.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
