Summary
This story follows Yoshio’s Journey to find silence. One day , Yoshio stopped to listen to a musician beautiful song. Yoshio asked her “Do you have a favorite sound?”. She responded with “The most beautiful sound is silence”. Yoshio went on a journey to find the sound of silence across the city of Tokoyo. Yoshio was determined to find the most beautiful sound in the entire world so he checked in the most unlikely places. He realized the most beautiful sound will come when he needs it most.
Theme(s):
Character Change, Traditions, Finding Peace
Personal Response
I thought this book was going to be less deep than it was. I overall enjoyed my experience reading this story. My Cousin lives in Tokoyo and always toldme how it was tough to find peace in a huge city. I noticed how the illustrator kept the pages mostly white and used color to illustrate sounds. It felt more connected to the story’s message. I feel like ti is tough to find peace in today’s world. I thrive on the chance to have quiet time whenever I can to reflect on my experiences.
Teaching Ideas
This book would be perfect for a social-emotional lesson on finding our inner peace or using coping strategies. Many students could relate to Yoshio’s mission of finding peace and quiet. This could be a great chance to have a circle time discussion on what we like to do to reflect on the day. It can be connected to mediation and other videos related to Japanese culture. I can see various ways to integrate this book into the current curriculum!
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01, Grade 02, Grade 03
