The Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination

A GORGEOUSLY illustrated book, full of profound wisdom. The Sound of Colors is about a girl who lost her vision and takes on a journey to find a way to enjoy this beautiful world through her other senses by "smelling the shapes", and "tasting the light and the dark". The author chooses a subway as the setting. I think, it is a metaphor of being in a sea of people that a different than you, while you are trying to find your path. The main character is also looking for a friend to share her hopes and dreams with, and who can share theirs; who can help to see the colors of the world. "Home is the place where everything I've lost is waiting patiently for me to find my way back" really stood out to me. Perhaps, it means that one can find all show more the answers within. This book really made me wonder how would it be if I lost my vision; that is a terrifying thought. We forget HOW BLESSED we are now, and how little we really need. An amazing book. show less

The Sound of Colors is a beautifully written book about a girl who has gone blind and is learning to adjust to life without vision and color. This book shows both the struggles that being blind can present, as well as the need of a vivid imagination that life without vision might evoke. Jimmy Liao has done an amazing job expressing the loneliness and confusion that the protagonist feels, and his whimsical illustrations of the girl's imagination provide the reader with a window into her colorful mind. This book is both creative and emotional, and it is definitely worth sharing.

In this beautiful and inspirational story, a blind woman and her dog rides the subway in search of an adventure. She imagines the stairs being a tunnel, and when she reaches the end, golden leaves surrounds her making it feel like sunshine is all around her. She imagines something new each time she walks up and down the stairs. Whether it is an ocean, where she can speak with the dolphins, or the open air, where she could learn to fly with the birds, she knows that every time she goes through the stairs, a new memory awaits her. Of course, there are times when she is unsure of where she’s at or if she will ever return home, but she never loses sight of what is important to her, her imagination. She personifies the wind as her friend, show more taking her from place to place, and ends by saying, “She’ll bring me back to the light I lost, still glowing here, in my heart.” What I like most about this story, is the fact that the woman used her many adventures to cope with the fact that she’s blind. She doesn’t lose faith because of her disability. A wonderful story for all ages. show less

Experiencing a young girls journey through the subway system and her adventurous stops bring a sense of what it is to be blind, along with its advantages and struggles. The advantages are seeing the world in a new way, through imagination and senses. The book, while a great read, is sad to me because I feel the girl is longing for her eyesight back. The sentence, " Home is the place where everything I've lost is patiently waiting for me to find my way back." really struck me because it indicates how much she has lost by losing her eyesight. The illustrations engage the reader as you can see the world the way the young girl imagines it. I think this is a great book for children to experience the world a blind child lives in and bring a show more sense of loss to the reality of being blind. show less

This was a beautiful book about a young woman who is blind and navigates through the city with what she feels and imagines. As she sets out into the city, she imagines the sights around her through the sounds, smells, and feelings she gets. Her imagination ranges between lots of beautiful settings in nature and beyond. Eventually her search becomes focused on finding her way home. For her, home is where everything you've lost is gathered in one place, waiting for you. She eventually finds her home by following her heart. I loved how much faith in the world the main character has. Despite her condition of being blind, she still believes there is much beauty to experience in the world. The main character is very brave as she sets out to show more search for her way back home. This inspired hope for me. The strongest aspect of this book was the illustrations. They were lively, beautiful, and filled with a vast array of colors. The illustrations almost suggest that the main character sees the world in a way that is more expansive and open than how most non-blind people would typically see the world. show less

I love this book and how the story begins so deeply. The style of the text is so descriptive and you can vividly see the text without the illustrations. I think the story it tells is so beautiful as she journeys in her mind. This a great book to use to benefit children’s imagination. I also like how in the illustrations you can see the main characters imagination compared to how it actually looks in reality. This book helps children see even though someone may be blind they can still live in a beautiful world that they can see through their imagination. She uplifted herself by turning her dark world into a beautiful colorful place. The illustrations just pair with the text beautifully. This book can also express to children that being show more blind is not a disability. You can still do anything that anyone else can do. show less

Only about 1/2 way through - yes it's a picture book but it's for *all* ages, has lots on each page, and lots of pages. Looking at other reviews I see that toddlers love it, that teachers use it in a classroom, and that adults might get even more out of it.

I ordered it because my 48 year-old eyes are getting worse and I'm terrified of not being able to read - I've heard that this book provides comfort & inspiration. So far it seems very promising, and I expect to re-read it at least once before returning it to the library.

Ok done. I will have to re-read it. Its message is, I'm sure, layered & nuanced; I'm sure I'll get more out of it with a re-read.

I like how Liao doesn't pretend life will be wonderful after losing an ability or show more facing a challenge, but simply shows that there are ways to find wonder anywhere. It takes place almost entirely in the young woman's imagination, but that's not indicative that she's trying to hide from reality. I (and, I think, the author) would argue that imagination is only one way to find joy, and also that the 'journey of the imagination' of the subtitle is a metaphor for a larger journey.

The book & its message are Spiritual, but in no sense do they encourage the reader to rely on a Higher Power.

Review written when book was first read in 2011, edited for clarity 2015.)

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Read again July 2015. I really need to own a copy of this. And to find others by the author. show less