How many sounds can be contained in a wordless book?

And how many feelings can the silence of a child hold?

Detailed graphite drawings by the Korean artist Jo A-ra invite the reader to follow the protagonist of this book for a day, a school-age boy. The path he takes is silent—not only due to the absence of verbal text but also because it is so solitary. At the same time, the journey is also, and primarily, musical. And this is not contradictory: the music in "Can You Hear My Heart?" is present throughout the book, not only in numerous "sonorous" visual proposals but also as an essential element for everything the character—and many other children—have to overcome.

Specifications:

• Paperback
• 48 pages
• 20 cm x 27 cm
• ISBN: 978-65-86666-05-2

The Author

JO A-RA

As a child, Jo A-ra used to sit in a small room of a piano school, playing the keys while waiting for her older sister to pick her up after class. She especially liked this tight and cozy space, as it felt like her mother's embrace. For her, who was very shy, the sound of the piano made her more comfortable than chatting with friends. It was the memories of those days that inspired her to create "Can You Hear My Heart?" her second illustrated book. Jo A-ra was born in South Korea, studied Korean Literature at college, and attended the Some Institute of Picture Book (SI Picture Book) in Seoul, Korea, specializing in training illustrated book artists since 2003.