The Sound of Silence

(Hardback)

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Publishing Details

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Description

Yoshio thinks Tokyo sounds like a symphony hall! He delights in everyday sounds--shoes squishing through puddles, raindrops pattering down, and lots of giggles! But one day he meets a musician who tells Yoshio that her favorite sound is ma, the Japanese word for the sound of silence. Yoshio must hear this! But how can he find it amid the hustle and bustle of the city

In the vein of Wabi Sabi, this book explains a sophisticated Japanese concept in a child-friendly way.

Reviews

* An inviting tale that will stretch inquisitive and observant young minds--and may even lead children to a greater appreciation of that golden commodity, silence.--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* The language in this picture book evokes the cacophony of sounds a person hears throughout daily life and the beautifully drawn images show where these sounds come from.--School Library Connection, starred review
* This book will be especially welcome in settings that teach yoga and mindfulness, but its message and striking art will be appreciated anywhere the din of daily life can overwhelm.--School Library Journal, starred review
Although the text is a smooth, self-contained bit of storytelling, Kuo's digitally colored pen drawings perform glorious double duty, introducing the bustling street scenes and orderly private interiors of Yoshio's beloved Tokyo, and translating the concept of ma into literal and figurative imagery.--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
Debut author Goldsaito's final passages about ma successfully illuminate the term and could be used to teach children to meditate....--Publishers Weekly
Deeply resonant...richly descriptive...The meditative pleasures of the book deepen with the thoughtful, dramatic compositions and bright colors of Kuo's illustrations. Read the notes, listen closely, and you might be able to hear the music and the silence too.--The Boston Globe
Goldsaito's gentle prose and Julia Kuo's vivid woodblock-style illustrations...beckon the reader into Yoshio's world of sound...So intent is his listening that the moment when Yoshio finds that he can hear the silence feels like a treasure--or a perfect note.--The Washington Post
One of my absolute favorite books of the year, I'll tell anyone who will listen that The Sound of Silence is like a dharma talk led by Christopher Robin. Which is about as high a compliment as I can give.--The Huffington Post
Only when Yoshio least expects it does the longed-for moment, breathless and fragile, arrive in this handsome picture book....--The Wall Street Journal
This pensive study of scenes and senses elicits new appreciation.--The San Francisco Chronicle
Whether or not young audiences understand the lovely (but somewhat enigmatic) Zen lesson about silence, they will certainly grasp Yoshio's love for Tokyo's 'stream of sounds'.--Horn Book
Yoshio's journey, rendered in pen and digital color, beautifully captures the bustle of Tokyo on a rainy day....Easily distinguished by his bright yellow umbrella and rain boots, [Yoshio] darts energetically from page to page.--Booklist

Author Bio

Katrina Goldsaito (Author)

Katrina Goldsaito's favorite sound is the sound of bare feet on tatami mats. In Tokyo, she worked as an on-camera TV journalist and producer for NHK-World, and has written for National Geographic, The Christian Science Monitor, NPR, and The Japan Times. She lives near Golden Gate Park with her husband and son, and spends her days eating avocados and working on her first YA novel.

Julia Kuo (Illustrator)

Julia Kuo's favorite sound is kuk-kuk-kuk (the sound an angry squirrel makes). She is the illustrator of Go, Little Green Truck and has created illustrations for American Greetings, the Cleveland Public Library, The New York Times, and Capitol Records, among many others. She works from Chicago for most of the year, and from Taipei over the winter.