Silence... does it have a sound? Can you hear it's sound? Where can we find it? Does it actually exist? These are all questions a little Japanese boy tries to answer in today's fabulous book. Enjoy a lesson in finding silence.
Quotes about silence...
Unwrapping...
"The Sound of Silence"
Authored by Katrina Goldsaito
Illustrated by Julia Kuo
Ages 5-9
Unwrapping some illustrations to enjoy...
About the book...
Hello, friend! When I was young, I was so addicted to drawing that my brother would exploit me by selling me copy paper for 3 dollars a sheet. Now he is an economist and I am a starving artist. I also wonder how I had the money to buy such expensive drawing paper.
I am an illustrator working out of Chicago for most of the year and Taipei over the winter.
Notable clients include the New York Times, Universal Music Group, Capitol Records, Little Brown and Co., Simon & Schuster, American Greetings, State Farm, Quarry Publishing, JoAnn’s Fabrics, the Home Shopping Network.
www.juliakuo.com
A young Japanese boy, named Yoshio, with a keen sense of the busyness of his surroundings, encounters an elderly woman tuning up her koto (a stringed instrument) while on his trek to school.
She plays a song for him that tickles his ears and Yoshio says,
"Sensei, I love sounds, but I've never heard a sound like that!" He then asks her what her favourite sound is? To his surprise she responds...
"The most beautiful sound," the koto player said, "is the sound of ma, of silence." Yoshio is enchanted by her response and off he goes to discover the source of beautiful silence.
He hears the thwacking of boots on the pavement through the raindrops, the swish-swish-swish of the wind as it travels through the bamboo grove, the honking horns of the bustling traffic, the whooshing of the bullet trains, the slurping and clanking of chopsticks as the family gathers for a meal, and the movement and dripping of water as he submerges himself in his evening bath.'' but no silence! He tries to stay up long after his bedtime to catch the silence but to no avail... his eyes close from fatigue... no silence! Where oh where can silence reside? Can he actually find the dwelling place of silence? Is it a reality or just a myth?
I am happy to tell you that Yoshio found his answer but it is only for him alone. The good news is that you can find your very own silence too. Shhhhhhhhh! Be still, listen intently, and it will appear to you too.
I am happy to tell you that Yoshio found his answer but it is only for him alone. The good news is that you can find your very own silence too. Shhhhhhhhh! Be still, listen intently, and it will appear to you too.
Finding silence or "ma" is fast becoming a lost art in our modern-day world. With all the technology and non-stop activity around us that causes constant distraction, it is something we have to strive to find. It is important that as we zoom through our days, nights, weeks, months and yes, even years that we stop!!!!!, turn off our devices and the deafening sounds that bury us, and re-acquaint ourselves with the lovely stranger that we call silence. It resides in a glorious peaceful space. It is like an oasis, a getaway, where we can spend quality time, regroup ourselves, reflect and relax. It's very therapeutic and is excellent for your health and for your soul.
"Ma" to you! I highly, highly recommend this book.
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. You can visit her
at katrinagoldsaito.com.
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. You can visit her
at katrinagoldsaito.com.
About the illustrator...
I am an illustrator working out of Chicago for most of the year and Taipei over the winter.
Notable clients include the New York Times, Universal Music Group, Capitol Records, Little Brown and Co., Simon & Schuster, American Greetings, State Farm, Quarry Publishing, JoAnn’s Fabrics, the Home Shopping Network.
www.juliakuo.com
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