Stubby: A Pencil's Journey

by Sydra Mallery, John L. Hare (Illustrator)

A silly and informational picture book about how a pencil is made, for kids ages 4-8.

Genres: Picture Books, School, Childrens, Back To School, Nonfiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2026

About the author

Sydra Mallery is an elementary school teacher, a poet, and an adoptive parent. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family, a cat, and a bearded dragon. A Most Unusual Day is her first book.

Reviews

[Theresa]

Stubby: A Pencil's Journey
by Sydra Mallery
This book was suggested as a fifth grade daily picture books for 2026.
Found on you tube as Stubby A Pencil’s Journey on Mr. Nick Reads!
This book shows the life of a pencil, from tree; to lumber, to pencil, to a stub of a pencil. This interactive story shows through cartoons how pencils are made, but its the process of our use of these pencils that creates meaning.

[Ann Haefele]

Fun story about how a pencil is made combined with the many uses of a pencil in a school. Information combined with humor makes this a story that would be a great read aloud in a classroom. Reminds me a bit of Arnie the Donut by L. Keller.

[Amy]

This book tells the story of Stubby, a short pencil, and his journey from tree to pencil. It was fascinating, informative, and just plain fun. Told in a true-story format, you will be rooting for the life cycle of short pencils by the end!

[Jen]

8yr old: I like how it tells the story of how a pencil is made and the life it goes through. A kid chewed on him so he had the bite marks. He got really small because another kid sharpened him too much. My favorite part was when they showed the processing plant and how a pencil is made while going through the conveyor belt.

Me: My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this book more than my kids! This picture book follows Stubby, a pencil with a rather unexpected backstory, from his beginnings as a tall cedar tree in a quiet forest to his eventual place in a lively elementary classroom. Along the way, it carefully shows each step of how a pencil is made, turning a complex manufacturing process into something easy to understand and enjoyable to follow.

What makes it especially lovely is the tone: it stays light and playful while still offering solid STEM learning. Stubby’s journey feels warm and approachable, as readers see him start as part of a forest ecosystem full of life and then gradually become something children can hold, use, and even name. It’s the kind of story that naturally invites curiosity, making it a thoughtful choice for classrooms, libraries, and family reading time without ever feeling heavy or overly instructive.

[Mrs.MakesReadingFun]

Stubby: A Pencil’s Journey was such a fun and surprisingly informative picture book! Told from the perspective of a tiny pencil named Stubby, this story takes readers all the way from towering cedar tree to busy classroom pencil, showing each step of the manufacturing process along the way.

I especially loved how educational this book felt without ever becoming boring or overly "instructional". It would pair perfectly with a classroom unit about how everyday objects are made! The information is woven naturally into the story, making it engaging for young readers while still teaching them something meaningful.

The illustrations were incredibly clever and full of personality. Many pages use a graphic novel/comic-style layout that makes the book feel modern, energetic, and very kid-friendly. I can easily see this format appealing to reluctant readers and students who love learning about how things are made!

The classroom scenes were hilarious too, especially Stubby’s experiences being chewed on, dropped, and sharpened over and over again!

This is a fantastic nonfiction picture book that educators, librarians, and families will all enjoy.

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is]

Read this book for my kid at bedtime. An excellent story about a pencil named Stubby. We both loved this story so much!

Stubby gave us readers a glimpse into the process of how a pencil was made. It started with him being an evergreen tree in the forest full of foods for many animals. Then many trucks came to cut him down and clean him off his branches and leaves. They took him on a trip out of the forest and into the timber yard where they cut the logs into planks. Then they took the planks to a pencil factory to make pencils. The pencils are ten in a box and sold at the store. The pencils wait for students and parents to buy them. The pencils arrived at the school with each student. The students use the pencils to write and draw. Some pencils got changed hands. Students use it, teachers use it, parents use it and sharpen it. Eventually, readers found it, write with it, keep it, and give it a name.

Great story and illustrations!

Thank you Greenwillow Books for the opportunity to read and review.

[Mariann]

This book had so much potential but missed the mark in so many ways.
The tree being excited to travel the world by being ripped out of the ground was strikingly odd. What could have been a humorous change from the environmental concerns that could be expected was just not done well.
As the tree was being broken down into smaller pieces through the factory process why did its consciousness keep moving to a single smaller piece, and when he "makes new friends" that wood... came from the same tree?
The section about moving from person to person and being chewed on etc. was fine and realistic and had some fun moments, but went on for far too long.
The ending was just... odd. The pencil expects to... live forever in someone's pocket? I was half expecting a closing page where it ended up in the laundry.
I so rarely rate picture books this low but I struggled to find anything redeeming in this one. I suppose some of the illustrations were fun...

[Laura Masters (School)]

I am torn about this book. The beginning with the deforestation made me very sad because it made it seem like the tree was happy to be cut down even though all of the animals and bugs depended on it for food and other reasons. I did like how it shows the process that it takes to make a pencil - so many steps with so many resources and people involved. It is a good reminder to kids that there is a real cost to all the things we buy. I enjoyed the life of pencil at school (minus the boy in the corner part) but that felt like it could have been its own story. I found the ending interesting because he found his 'best friend' and they happily wrote stories together, but it didn't mention that eventaully that pencil will become too short to use and end up in the garbage but apparently we can't show that but we can show the deforestation.....

[Erin]

This is a totally cute looking book. The art is great. I do like how it explains the process of making a pencil from tree to stubby writing utensil, but I couldn't stop myself from cringing as the idea of deforestation was glossed over as a good thing, all while the animals that depended on the tree's existence were cast aside without any explanation for where they were supposed to go. The tree was all too happy to be cut down and chopped up, which, ok, it's a kids' book that wants to teach a process and what better way than to tell the story from the pencil's perspective, but I also couldn't get past how this one tree, with it's singular existence/consciousness suddenly has so many other individual personalities as the other pencils were put together in the same box, all which were made from the same slab of wood. I just couldn't suspend my own disbelief, but maybe a kid could.

[M M]

Is this a good book? Yes, it's cute. Are the drawings nice? Yes, love the illustrations. Do I like the message of the book? NO! No I don't, this book makes deforestation seem like a happy positive thing, like the trees want to be cut down and used. It goes into how the tree was so beneficial for so many animals, but then machines cut it down along with a large section of Forrest and we are all supposed to be happy for it because now it isn't just rooted in one place. It can go places! Like under a desk..... the messaging in this book is ridiculous. It should say supported by a deforestation project near you!

[Liz]

How an evergreen tree goes from being a solid, unmoving tree providing berries in the woods to helping write this book. It goes into detail about the pencil-making process which is interesting and reminds me of a Mister Roger's episode when they teach you about different things in the world. Hmmm not sure how I feel about this one. It feels like a positive spin on deforestation, but we do need pencils that kids use everyday. This one has had quite an exciting life as a pencil. For all those reasons, it reminds me of The Giving Tree and The Lorax. Maybe if it had started with Stubby's life as a brand new pencil, I'd like it more.

[Holly Wagner]

A fun, but a bit too long story of a pencil from tree to the classroom. I loved the part about how a tree becomes a pencil. Once in the classroom, it seemed to go on a bit too long. Also, there’s a picture of someone in timeout sitting in a corner (who does that?). And later the pencil has spelled out ‘fart’ which in some communities is on par with swearing. So, overall, I think it doesn’t quite fly as an elementary school library purchase.

[Bookworm4Life]

An interesting story that tells the life story of a pencil. From starting out as a tree, to a pencil making factory, to even being used by different students in a classroom, stubby's life is full of adventures that will also teach children how pencils are made.

[Terresa Wellborn]

"Maybe you even saw the tree in me." - Pencil to boy

Ever curious how pencils are made? And want to see it illustrated from tree to pencil? Now's your chance!

Themes: pencils
Ages:
Pub year: 2026

[Melanie Hetrick]

Stubby, the short pencil, narrates the process of going from a tall tree in the forest to a pencil in a box of school supplies.

A good book for explaining processes with more than a wee bit of propaganda regarding the logging process included.

[Sarah Threlkeld]

Clever idea. Enjoyed seeing the process of a tree becoming pencils. A bit long to hold my interest.

[Mulliken District Library]

Five adorable, cute, and informational stars!
Such an enjoyable read that is full of heart.

[Marcia]

A humorous look at how a pencil is made and how it ends up in the hands of a child who fully appreciates it. A fun one to start the school year.

[Syntha Green]

Hilariously illustrated

[Jenny]

Stubby describes his life as an evergreen tree and then a pencil. This is both fun and full of information. It's genuinely fun!

[Nancycampbell]

I do love a pencil, and this funny book takes the reader from the forest, to the pencil factory, to the classroom. Great illustrations!!

[Judy Ripke]

A fun way to learn how a pencil is made.

[Lori]

I enjoyed seeing how pencils were made, and could totally relate to the teacher who made the kid stop sharpening. 🤪

[Vicki]

A cute story of a cedar tree and its journey of being turned into a pencil.

[jstrable]

Cute read aloud for older kids about the life of a pencil