New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated BookA Kirkus Best BookA BookPage Best Book What is a pencil? A forest transformed. In this beautifully illustrated wordless picture book, young readers can follow a pencil's life cycle from tree to factory to store shelf and back to tree. Even the simplest tool contains multitudes. Once a living tree, then a manufactured commodity, a pencil in the hands of a young artist becomes the key to a rich imaginative world. In this expansive, gorgeously illustrated story, creator Hye-Yun Kim asks us to see and appreciate the full value--and infinite possibilities--of the pencil, as well as other seemingly mundane objects around us. This powerful aid teaches readers essential visual literacy skills and celebrates the creative process.