The story in this wordless picture book begins on the opening end papers, showing a forest drawn in ink pen, with one tree highlighted in paper bag brown. That judicious use of color continues as the tree becomes a log sent to a mill, transformed into a giant roll of paper, and then manufactured into a paper bag, easily tracked through the process by its singular hue among the greys, blacks, and cream of each scene. A touch of red is added as the plot progresses, in the form of a heart drawn on the outside of the bag-now a boy's lunch bag, and later a convenient container for whatever he needs to carry as he grows up, attends college, falls in love, and becomes a parent. Later his biracial (brown-skinned/white) child adds even more red hearts to that same long-lived bag. Finally, having traveled full circle, the bag holds a tree seedling that the family plants in the woods. An author's note relates how issues of conservation and recycling inspired him to re-use a paper bag for school lunch for three years, before willing it to a younger friend at graduation. Suspending disbelief about the longevity of the book's bag is worth the effort, in order to savor the clever design, intricate illustrations, and a gentle call for conservation. (Ages 3-7)

An evocative wordless picture book that is a loving tribute to mindful living on our precious planet.

* "Beautifully effective." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "Deeply profound... compelling... emotionally resonant." -- School Library Journal, starred review* "Elevating the life of an ephemeral object to the time scale of love across generations." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

From a tall tree growing in the forest--to the checkout counter at the grocery store--one little bag finds its way into the hands of a young boy on the eve of his first day of school.

And so begins an incredible journey of one little bag that is usedand reusedand reused again.

In a three-generation family, the bag is transporter of objects and keeper of memories. And when Grandfather comes to the end of his life, the family finds a meaningful new way for the battered, but much-loved little bag to continue its journey in the circle of life.