One day in 1952, a pianist walked into a barn. (Yes, you read that right). He sat down at a piano (because the barn was also a concert hall), and for the next 4 minutes and 33 seconds, he played “Nothing.” No, not nothing, “Nothing,” a new work by a composer named John Cage that was 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. But it turns out silence isn’t really silent. The piano made no sound, but in the concert hall audience members cleared their throats or shifted in their seats; from outside there was the sound of rain pattering, and wind blowing in trees. “John Cage wanted to write a piece in which people would hear how much something there is in nothing.” That first audience found it unsettling, infuriating, but over time, “Nothing” has become a classic, performed before huge crowds and small gatherings alike. “And every time, the audience hears something different.” This whimsical picture book about the singular genius of John Cage and his composition “Nothing” is an inspired delight, with playful mixed-media illustrations and spirited book design adding to the pleasure.

What does nothing sound like? An offbeat history of John Cage’s 4’33”, a musical composition of blank bars, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka.

One night in 1952, master pianist David Tudor took the stage in a barnlike concert hall called the Maverick. A packed audience waited with bated breath for him to start playing. Little did they know that the performance had already begun.

A rain patters.
A tree rustles.
An audience stirs.

David was performing John Cage’s 4’33”, whose purpose is to amplify the ambient sounds of whatever venue it inhabits. That shocking first performance earned 4’33” plenty of haters; and yet the piece endures, “performed” by the smallest garage bands and the grandest symphonies alike, year after year. Its fans hear what John Cage hoped we would hear: “Nothing” is never silent, and you don’t need a creative genius, a concert hall, or even a piano to hear something worthwhile. All you have to do is stop and listen.

Nicholas Day’s text is reverent with a healthy drop of humor, warm and refined; two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka’s childlike pencil-on-watercolor artwork is uninhibited and electrifying, with all the visionary spirit of the work it chronicles. Guaranteed to spark generative thought and lively debate among readers of all ages, Nothing is not to be missed.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Named to the Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List
One of Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year