The Sound of Silence - Hardcover

Goldsaito, Katrina

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316203378 ISBN 13: 9780316203371

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2016

Synopsis

"Do you have a favorite sound?" little Yoshio asks. The musician answers, "The most beautiful sound is the sound of ma, of silence."
But Yoshio lives in Tokyo, Japan: a giant, noisy, busy city. He hears shoes squishing through puddles, trains whooshing, cars beeping, and families laughing. Tokyo is like a symphony hall!
Where is silence?
Join Yoshio on his journey through the hustle and bustle of the city to find the most beautiful sound of all.

About this title

About the 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'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.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 4—On a rainy, bustling morning in Tokyo, a young boy is surrounded by a symphony of sounds: boots squishing, raindrops pattering, cars rushing, and, to his delight, a koto player producing a range of high, low, and "twangy and twinkling" notes as she tunes her instrument. When Yoshio asks the musician what her favorite sound is, she answers, "Ma," the silence between sounds. Intrigued by her comment, the boy spends his day in search of the elusive ma. Kuo's art provides the backdrop for the child's quest in scenes of contemporary Tokyo, from the high-speed Shinkansen trains that pass through its stations ("whoosh") to the bamboo grove near the school playground that whispers "takeh-takeh-taheh." Most of the images (in pen, with color added digitally) span spreads, offering wide-angle views of the city, but there are a few single-page pictures, proffering their own unique perspectives. The art is rich in detail and features a variety of concentrated colors that give way to muted grays and browns when suddenly, while reading, Yoshi experiences ma, something that feels peaceful, "still inside him." In an author's note, Goldsaito acknowledges the influence of the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, who believed that "without silence, sound would be meaningless." VERDICT This book will be especially welcome in settings that teach yoga or mindfulness, but its message and striking art will be appreciated anywhere the din of daily life can overwhelm.—Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0316203378
• ISBN 13: 9780316203371
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 40