{"product_id":"nothing-isbn-9780823454099","title":"Nothing","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhat 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.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne 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.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA rain patters.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA tree rustles.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn audience stirs. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNicholas 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, \u003ci\u003eNothing\u003c\/i\u003e is not to be missed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Massachusetts Book Award Honor Title\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLonglisted for the Massachusetts Book Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNamed to the Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection\u003c\/b\u003e★ \"An exceptional exploration of absolutely ‘nothing’ that feels particularly radical in an ever-bustling and connected world.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Booklist,\u003c\/i\u003e Starred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ★ \"Raschka’s stunning illustrations further these heady concepts: staff lines, disembodied notes, accidentals, and oddly placed clefs visually capture Cage’s spirit. . . The book deftly pivots in time between Cage’s childhood, the Woodstock performance, and his impact on music broadly.\"\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Horn Book\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ★ \"A beautifully written and illustrated story of a man who wanted people to explore nothingness, which is a necessity in today’s busy world. A great read-aloud and a must-purchase for all ­library collections.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—School Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Raschka’s broad watercolor strokes create bold shapes, pops of color, and disproportionate figures that add a playful undercurrent to the discussion of Cage’s avant-garde work.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Publisher’s Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"Goofy yet profound\"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"[A] remarkable picture book. . . Raschka’s lively and busy watercolor, pencil, and ink drawings capture all that is actually happening around the concert hall where it first seems like nothing at all is happening.\"\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eNicholas Day\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Mona Lisa Vanishes\u003c\/i\u003e, a middle-grade\u003cbr\u003ebook of narrative nonfiction about the theft of the Mona Lisa. For adults, he’s the author of \u003ci\u003eBaby Meets World\u003c\/i\u003e, a work about the science and history of infancy, which Mary Roach called “a perfect book.” He lives in Western Massachusetts with his family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChris Raschka \u003c\/b\u003eis the Caldecott-Medal-winning and Hans Christian Andersen Award-nominated author and illustrator of dozens of books for young readers, including \u003ci\u003eThe Hello, Goodbye Window\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Ball for Daisy\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eYo! Yes?\u003c\/i\u003e He is also a violinist. He lives in New York City.","brand":"Neal Porter Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44865168605413,"sku":"NP9780823454099","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780823454099.jpg?v=1767733926","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/nothing-isbn-9780823454099","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}