Illustration of a little girl looking at cherry blossoms up on a tree.
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When Cherry Blossoms Fall (Alvina Ling Books). Text © 2026 Katrina Goldsaito and illustrations © 2026 Yas Imamura

Special Storytime: Katrina Goldsaito

Artists & Authors
For Families
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Auditorium

Free with Museum Admission

Join Katrina Goldsaito for the interactive debut of her new book When Cherry Blossoms Fall. 

Little Yuna can’t wait for her great-grandmother’s cherry tree to bloom. She and her hībāchan spend each day outside, watching the tree’s flowers unfurl. But once the tree blooms, the moment is so brief before it loses its petals again—this is what her hībāchan calls mono no aware. It isn’t until her great grandmother—and the petals she loves—are gone that Yuna finally understands what the phrase really means: an awareness of something’s impermanence. 

Katrina’s reading will be interwoven with Japanese drumming from Mountain River Taiko and traditional bon odori dancing. 

A book signing and craft will follow the program in the great hall. Can’t make it? You may reserve signed books online.

Who You'll Meet
A woman in a blue shirt, smiling

Katrina Goldsaito

Katrina Goldsaito finds mono-no-aware in the ever-changing sky above the fields of western Massachusetts and in her ever-changing children. She is the author of the award-winning The Sound of Silence, translated into seven languages and named a Book of the Year by NPR and one of the 65 Essential Children’s Books from 1936 to the present by The Atlantic.  You can find Katrina on Instagram and Facebook at @katrinagoldsaito.

Author Website
Logo of Mountain River Taiko.

Mountain River Taiko

Mountain River Taiko was founded in 2011 in Williamsburg, MA by founding director Olga Ehrlich. In 2022, the group transitioned to a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and now practices at the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Florence, MA. Mountain River Taiko increases intercultural awareness by sharing the joy of playing taiko drums.

Organization Website
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In the Bookshop

Illustration of a boy by himself in a crowded city.

The Sound of Silence

Illustration of a little girl looking at cherry blossoms up on a tree.

When Cherry Blossoms Fall