Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy, so his family expected him to paint like a proper artist. 

But when Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing colors, he heard strange sounds. As he grew older, he continued to hear colors singing and see sounds dancing. But will Vasya be brave enough to put aside his proper background and  paint . . . music?

This exuberant celebration of creativity tells the fascinating story of Vasily Kandinsky, a person experiencing synesthesia. Throughout his life, Kandinsky heard colors as sounds, and saw sounds as colors—and bold, groundbreaking works burst forth from his noisy paint box. The result? The start of abstract art.

Backmatter includes four paintings by Kandinsky, an author’s note, sources, links to websites on synesthesia and abstract art.