Between the Lines

Journeys of the Senses

Jimmy Liao’s brilliantly illustrated book, “The Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination” tells the story of a solitary girl traveling through the subway. The commuting experience, difficult at times for anyone, is even more daunting for this girl because she has recently lost her sight. Imagining the possibilities of all the subway tracks in the whole world joining together, she finds herself emerging from the underground into a forest full of elephants and apples, into the sea where she sunbathes on the back of a blue whale, and into a topiary maze that she and her little dog navigate together.

Translated from the original Chinese, the text expresses the girl’s emotions elegantly and promotes discussions with students about the ways in which we experience the world.

“Now I listen for the sound of the colors I can’t see. I try to smell the shapes, taste the light and dark.”