The Sound of Silence
Published August 2, 2016 • Little, Brown & Co • Written by Katrina Goldsaito
“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.
Readings
Author Katrina Goldsaito read The Sound of Silence at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco while I illustrated live. Her father, Yoshio Saito, accompanied our reading with a koto performance!
Actor Simu Liu reads The Sound of Silence for Storyline Online!
Learn About How I Work
Learn about how I made the illustrations for The Sound of Silence
Critical Praise
"Goldsaito’s lyrical writing, part ballad and part haiku, and Kuo’s illustrations, midway between manga and Chris Ware yet thoroughly original, carry the story with effortless poetic enchantment."
- Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
"Every detail of this book brings Japan vividly to life, from popular storefronts and cartoon characters to commuters wearing surgical masks and children removing their outside shoes at school. Japanese is rich in onomatopoeic sounds, and Goldsaito and Kuo convey this linguistic quirk to English readers both visually and verbally. The elegantly expressive text and illustrations together create an immersive sensory experience for readers."
- Kirkus Starred Review
"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
”This impressive aspect of Kuo's art is one of the main things that I think distinguishes it from other books this year. Kuo does some interesting things to convey the book's theme through her illustrations, including binding her use of color to the concept of sound.”
- Calling Caldecott, The Horn Book
"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
"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
"Only when Yoshio least expects it does the longed-for moment, breathless and fragile, arrive in this handsome picture book...."
-The Wall Street Journal
“My friends are probably looking for their own peace and quiet after listening to me go on and on about this beautifully illustrated story, which has the calming effect of a guided meditation led by Christopher Robin.”
— Minh Le for National Public Radio