Nothing

Carefully selected ambient sounds combine with Fred Berman's deliberate narration as this audiobook and accompanying picture book tell the story of the inaugural performance of composer John Cage's 4'33"--in which a pianist sat at his instrument for four minutes and 33 seconds without playing it. Biographical passages about Cage alternate with the "concert" itself. The papery flutter of a page turning guides young listeners through Chris Raschka's sunny watercolor illustrations of Nicholas Day's text. Berman's exquisite sense of pace ensures that children slow down and listen, which, as they'll learn from the extensive author's note, is the whole point. This audio production of a picture book about the sounds of "nothing" is a little mind-bending--in the best possible way. V.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine