★ “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 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.”—Children’s Cooperative Book Center, starred review
“Less a biography and more a sensorial introduction to John Cage, ‘sound sorcerer.’ Compared to familiar musicians and more conventional composers, Cage’s work ‘made you think. thinking newly / freshly changes / your mind / changes you’. Appropriately, rather than focusing on explanations, names, and dates, Golio instead offers up a tone poem, echoing Cage’s own fascination with weird and myriad sounds, such as laughter from the radio, the whizz of a windup bird, or the meow and scratch of a cat. Andrea D’Aquino’s mixed media monotype illustrations complement Cage’s eclectic approach to collecting and combining disparate elements. Unified by a disciplined and striking color palette of burnt umber, violet, mustard, and black, she mixes fingerprint dabs, brushwork, crayon resist, various fonts, and even photographs. In unrestrained hands, this could be chaotic, but she maintains order through her use of grids, musical notation, and shapes that corral the scattered text… Music teachers, especially those interested in music history, may find this an excellent introduction to Cage. With its large images and rhythmic cadence, it could be an unconventional yet compelling activator for middle and high school students beginning a unit on his work.”— Youth Services Book 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
