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“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.

Detail from one of the illustrations in this picture book: I spy a Haruki Murakami novel. Also, fuzzy purse ornaments. And is that woman carrying a ball or a melon or what?

Through a combination of play and contemplation, a school child discovers the meaning of the Japanese concept of ma—the silence between sounds. A children‘s #picturebook set in Tokyo with lovely, detailed illustrations by Julia Kuo.

Nice representation of quiet interior versus chaotic exterior space, as Yoshio steps outside his door into a Tokyo street. Also, I like the sense of movement through space in the two-page spread: it‘s easy to follow the progress of Yoshio with his yellow umbrella.

Rainy day #endpapers.

I wouldn‘t have recognized that this #picturebook‘s Japanese illustrator might be borrowing a traditional artistic convention—fukinuki-yatai—if I hadn‘t also been reading a different book that‘s about 16th century Japanese art. Fukinuki-yatai shows interiors of rooms from above, without a roof, to allow viewers to see what‘s happening outside and inside at the same time. The other possibility is that the artist is borrowing film technique.

#SeptemberDanes Day 22: The #BestDay for me is one with the sound of silence, amidst the chaotic, crazy world around us. As noted by Fats in her review: “In the Afterword, author Katrina Goldsaito explains that the Japanese concept of ‘ma‘ is the silence between sounds. The Sound of Silence celebrates that beautiful “space” between sounds that is ever-present in our lives.” Her full review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-ez9

Kids' library books for the week. And I am indeed experiencing the blissful sound of silence as the kids read for a bit. Of course I don't expect that to last too long. I just take what I can get😂😂

I don't know why, but this is stuck in my head and hitting me hard this morning. Pic courtesy of Google Pics.

I think kids' books and cookbooks are some of the most fun to pick by the cover (and least likely to disappoint). My sister picked this one for my 5 year old based on the cover illustration. It's about a boy's search for the sound of silence in Tokyo. #judgedbythecover #marchintoreading (also pictured secret pizza party - another great cover and book).

Some really nice illustrations.