Welcome to a special story time with Storyline Online! Today, we’re going to explore a wonderful book called The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito, with beautiful pictures by Julia Kuo. Our storyteller, Simu Liu, will take us on an exciting journey with a boy named Yoshio.
Yoshio was super excited as he opened the front door of his house. He stepped outside and heard all the sounds of the city of Tokyo. It was like a big music concert! He listened to his boots making funny squishy sounds in the puddles and the raindrops tapping on his umbrella. His own giggles made him laugh even more!
Then, Yoshio heard a strange and wonderful sound. It was high and low, squeaky and vibrating. It was a koto player tuning her instrument. When she played, the music was twinkly and tickled Yoshio’s ears. Yoshio asked the koto player, “Do you have a favorite sound?” She smiled and said, “The most beautiful sound is the sound of ma, of silence.”
Yoshio was curious. “Silence?” he wondered. He wanted to find this special sound. As he ran to school, he listened to the thwack of his boots on the pavement. But there was always some noise around him.
During recess, Yoshio went to a quiet bamboo grove. But even there, the wind made the bamboo stalks go takeh-takeh-takeh. It was nice, but it wasn’t silence.
On his way home, Yoshio listened carefully. He heard buses, trains, and traffic lights, but no silence. At home, there was always noise from his family eating or the water dripping in the bath. Where was silence?
That night, Yoshio tried to stay awake to find silence, but he fell asleep. The next morning, he woke up to a barking dog. He thought he missed the silence again!
Yoshio went to school early. The school was quiet because no one was there yet. He sat at his desk and started reading a book he loved. Suddenly, he noticed something amazing. There were no sounds at all. No footsteps, no talking, no music. Just silence. It felt peaceful, like a snowy garden or a sunny day.
Yoshio realized that silence was always there, between all the sounds he heard every day. It was there when he ran, when the wind stopped, after a meal, and even before and after music played. Silence was everywhere, waiting to be found.
This story teaches us that silence is special. It helps us think and listen to the world around us. In our busy lives, it’s important to remember to stop and enjoy the quiet moments. Silence can help us learn and discover new things.
Thank you for joining us on this adventure with Yoshio. Remember to keep listening, keep reading, and enjoy the magic of silence!
Sound Hunt: Go on a sound hunt around your home or school. Try to find different sounds like Yoshio did. Can you hear the sound of water dripping, the wind blowing, or birds chirping? Write down or draw the sounds you hear. Then, find a quiet spot and see if you can hear the silence. How does it feel compared to the other sounds?
Silence Art: Create a piece of art that represents what silence feels like to you. Use colors, shapes, and lines to show the peacefulness of silence. You can use crayons, markers, or paint. Share your artwork with a friend or family member and explain why you chose those colors and shapes to represent silence.
Mindful Listening: Sit quietly for a few minutes and close your eyes. Focus on the sounds around you. What do you hear first? What do you hear when you listen more closely? After a few minutes, open your eyes and talk about what you heard. Did you notice any moments of silence between the sounds?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Storyline Online intro] Welcome to Storyline Online, presented by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I’m Simu Liu, and today I’ll be reading *The Sound of Silence* by Katrina Goldsaito, illustrated by Julia Kuo.
Little Yoshio wiggled with anticipation. Three… two… one! He threw open the front door. The sounds of the city swirled all around him—Tokyo was like a symphony hall! Yoshio listened to the sound of his boots squishing and squashing through the puddles, and the tiny raindrops pattering on his umbrella. The sound of his giddy giggles made him giggle even more.
Suddenly, Yoshio heard the strangest sound, high and then low, squeaky and vibrating—amazing! It was a koto player carefully tuning her instrument. Then the koto player played. The notes were twangy and twinkling; they tickled Yoshio’s ears! When the song finished, Yoshio said, “Sensei, I love sounds, but I’ve never heard a sound like that!” The koto player laughed, and it sounded like the metal bell that swayed in the wind in Mama’s garden. “Sensei,” Yoshio said, “do you have a favorite sound?” “The most beautiful sound,” the koto player said, “is the sound of ma, of silence.” “Silence?” Yoshio asked. But the koto player just smiled a mysterious smile and went back to playing.
Yoshio bowed to the koto player and ran to school. ‘Where can I find silence?’ Yoshio wondered as he listened to the thwack of his boots on the pavement. He listened for it throughout the school day, but there was always some kid making noise. At recess, the sun came out, and Yoshio went to the quietest place he knew—the bamboo grove at the edge of the playground. But even there, the bamboo made a takeh-takeh-takeh sound as the wind banged its stalks together. He closed his eyes and heard the swish-swish-swish of the wind making the leaves talk. It was beautiful, but it wasn’t silence.
Walking home from school, Yoshio listened hard. He could hear the horns of buses and the whoosh of bullet trains and the beep-beep-beep of the traffic lights, but no silence. Yoshio knew so many different sounds, loud and soft, sudden and soothing, but silence? Where was silence? It wasn’t in the dining room, where there was always the sound of chopsticks and slurping and chewing and swallowing. What a noisy family! Silence wasn’t in the bath, where even his toes made noise and little droplets of water kept dripping off his nose. Drip. Drip. Drip.
That night, Yoshio tried to stay up late to catch the silence while his family slept. But his eyes got heavy and then heavier, and soon the sound of a distant radio became part of his dreams. [dog barking] The next morning, Yoshio woke up to his neighbor’s dog barking and barking and—oh no! He had missed the silence! Yoshio walked to school early. His sisters whizzed by on their way to the park, calling Yoshio’s name. Where was silence? Yoshio heard the creak of the school gates as he pulled them open. No one was at school yet. He put on his inside shoes and listened as they shuffled on the shiny floor. The classroom felt different without anyone in it. He sat at his desk by the window and pulled out a book. He loved this story, and as he read, he forgot where he was.
Suddenly, in the middle of a page, he heard it. No sounds of footsteps, no people chattering, no radios, no bamboo, no kotos being tuned. In that short moment, Yoshio couldn’t even hear the sound of his own breath. Everything felt still inside him. Peaceful, like the garden after it snowed. Like feather-stuffed futons drying in the sun. Silence had been there all along. It had been there between the thumps of his boots when he ran; when the wind stopped for just a moment in the bamboo grove; at the end of his family’s meal, when everyone was happy and full; after the water finished draining from his bath; before the koto player’s music began—and hovering in the air, right after it ended. It was between and underneath every sound. And it had been there all along. Ma, silence.
Wow! I have so many thoughts after reading this book. First and foremost, I am a little emotional. What a profound story about silence. It’s amazing how this story highlights the importance of stopping and listening and taking a moment to reflect. Because when we’re listening in a moment of silence, I feel like we are in moments of reflection. In these moments, we discover things about ourselves; we listen to the world around us. I think this book teaches us to keep our ears open and to take in every single sound, including the sound of nothing. That’s really profound and important. Silence is the perfect environment through which we can learn and read. In this world, where everything is happening all at the same time, and there’s so much to do, it’s important not to forget about the importance of silence.
Thank you so much for watching Storyline Online. Make sure you check out all of our stories. And remember! Keep watching and keep reading. [Storyline Online credits]
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This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while ensuring it is appropriate for all audiences.
