Silence Sounds Simple

★ “Golio structures this portrait of composer John Cage (1912–1992) as an experience, crafting a sensory meditation that ­reflects this creator’s artistic philosophy. The story does not follow a typical chronological pattern, instead offering a unique storytelling perspective. The sparse, rhythmic prose challenges a familiar assumption: silence is not absence and often intensifies through intention…A conceptually ambitious and visually arresting biography that ­encourages attentive listening and frames curiosity as a disciplined intellectual stance.”–School Library Journal, starred review

★ “This lively picture-book portrait unfurls John Cage’s expansive philosophy of sound as an exploration of the experience of listening. In a day framed as musical movements—overture, interlude, coda—accomplished biographer and musician Golio’s evocative text entices readers to notice the sounds of the everyday as Cage did (slippers scuffing, water whooshing, horns blaring), where the silence in between is not absence but presence shaped by attention… In greens, golds, and purples punctuated by black, D’Aquino’s naive-style drawings pulse and flow in an exuberant expression of the music discovered in sound and silence. Recurring motifs—a black cat with a quizzical gaze, chirping birds, perching chess pieces—anchor fun, inventive layouts, with hand-lettered embellishments enhancing the rhythm on the page… This mind-opening portrait of an imaginative creator presents the act of listening as instinctive and intriguing and is a beguiling invitation to contemplate the music of sound shaped by silence.”–Booklist, starred review

★ “Golio and D’Aquino present an imagistic snapshot of the life and legacy of avant-garde composer Cage… D’Aquino’s eye-catching and mind-teasing illustrations (mixed media, which included a ‘wide variety of non-art supplies’) feature a subdued and limited color palette that brings visual cohesion to an enticingly vast variety of shapes and ideas.”—The Horn Book, starred review

“This is more a sonic exercise than a true biography, inviting readers to find newness in sounds so familiar that one may not even hear them anymore… The illustrations are a reflection on and a celebration of the quirky genius of Cage, bringing together paint, pastels, collage work, and ‘a wide variety of non-art supplies.’ The result is a tangible representation of both Cage’s exploration of non-traditional ways to create music and the wonder to be found when ordinary sounds (i.e. running water, a cat’s purr, or the click of a closing door) come together to make something new.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

”…a joyful evocation of [Cage’s] artistic philosophy…Andrea D’Aquino’s marriage of words and images is captivating.”–The New York Times

“The music of silence is celebrated through the lens of a composer who appreciated it more than anyone… Golio’s text pairs well with D’Aquino’s eclectic cacophony of images, depicted in an array of purples, yellows, browns, and greens. A mind-expanding exploration of what lies in the spaces between the notes.”–Kirkus Reviews

Gary Golio is a visual artist, musician, and psychotherapist. He is the author of the New York Times-bestselling picture book Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow, which received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. His recent Calkins Creek book, Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem, also received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor.

Gary’s other titles, most of which profile important artists, include When Bob Met Woody, Strange Fruit, Sonny Rollins Plays the Bridge, and The Soldier’s Friend. He lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife, children’s book author Susanna Reich.

Andrea D’Aquino is the author and illustrator of several picture books, including A Life Made by Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa; She Heard the Birds: The Story of Florence Merriam Bailey; and an illustrated edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She recently illustrated the Calkins Creek book Abzuglutely!: Battling, Bellowing Bella Abzug by Sarah Aronson. Andrea has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, and the Type Director’s Club, among many other illustration organizations.

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