By Gary Golio
Illustrated by Andrea D’Aquino
Calkins Creek / Astra, 2026
32 pages
978-1-6626-8080-9
Ages 4-8
“Sound sorcerer” John Cage composed music, but he also made space—space to listen to what exists between the notes of a song. He delighted in and utilized ambient noise, the small sounds of everyday living, letting his audience find the sounds behind the silence. “Sounds within silence / silence in noise / music in both / life within all.” The music Cage composed wasn’t ordinary, and his instruments were unorthodox; he’d make “music with / screws bolts rubber bands / STUCK in piano strings / STUCK in your mind.” He’d play a child’s piano on stage. He’d sit in silence—or was it silence? Behind the music is a man who, unusually, found joy in the company of the quietest of things: mushrooms. But “who’s to say / that mushroom / spores / hitting the ground / don’t make a sound / the only question / is / who’s listening?” This unusual, thought-provoking picture book introduces a singular artist by immersing the reader in playful text,, dynamic illustrations, and creative book design that successfully evoke his soundscape and offer food for thought, too. After all, “thinking newly / freshly changes / your mind / changes you.” ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center