  | Cesaria feels the beat Author: Adusei, Denise Rosario | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
A deaf girl stands up for herself and takes off her shoes while dancing at her Carnival performance so she can feel the music through her bare feet.
| Illustrator: | Soares, Priscila |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: LG Reading Level: 3.10 Points: .5 Quiz: 555126 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (04/15/24)
School Library Journal (+) (00/07/24)
Booklist (+) (05/01/24)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 05/01/2024 *Starred Review* Cesaria, bright and barefoot, feels the beat of her seaside world through her feet. For a Carnival performance, though, her dance-team teacher wants the Deaf little girl to wear the blue sandals matching her feathery peacock costume. Cesaria first signs no. She is fiercely sure she won't be able to be her best, the way she is when feeling sand and salt spray and nature's touch. Finally, she succumbs to her friends' pleas, yet facing a crowd of anxious faces, she can't truly dance until she feels the ocean breeze across the stage, because the music's drum tempo is lost to her. Finally kicking away the sandals, she signs, Peacocks wear no shoes, and her teammates catch on, also stepping away from their footwear as the Earth radiates its heartbeat through their bare feet. Adusei's text communicates brilliantly the way the hearing impaired and Deaf experience music, as well as the way other senses convey rhythm. Meanwhile, Soares' illustrations use the pure colors of Carnival—azure, deep purple, and a saturated yellow—to convey the story's joy. A lovely book about a child who experiences the world in an atypical way that readers will readily understand. For all collections. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
