Cesaria Feels the Beat by Denise Rosario Adusei, illustrated by Priscila Soares (Roaring Brook Press, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Cesaria is a little girl who loves to dance, and she’s excited to be part of a group that’s dancing for Carnival. She dons her tutu and beautiful peacock feathers, but she doesn’t want to wear the shoes the director tells her to put on. “Peacocks don’t wear shoes,” she signs, but he is insistent. Finally, Cesaria relents and joins the rest of the troupe on stage, her tail feather drooping. But when the music begins, she kicks off her shoes so that she can feel the beat in her feet. “Take off your shoes,” she signs to the other dancers. “Feel!” They join her in a lively dance that brings cheers from the audience and a sign of “Thank you!” from Cesaria, before she rushes off the stage, leaving her shoes behind. Includes notes from the author, who drew inspiration from watching a Deaf cousin appreciate music by putting her hand on the speaker (which was initially discouraged by family members), and the illustrator, who was diagnosed with hearing loss as a teenager but didn’t get help for it until her son was born deaf.

Beautiful illustrations of Carnival use brilliant colors to portray the crowds and Cesaria’s peacock-themed dance troupe. The story of a courageous Deaf girl showing others how she dances is sure to resonate with readers, and possibly educate them as well. Kids will need to use some inferencing skills to figure out from Cesaria’s signing what is going on in the story.

My Daddy Is a Cowboy by Stephanie Seales, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza (Harry N. Abrams, 48 pages, ages 4-8). A girl and her father rise before dawn to take his motorcycle out to the ranch where the girl takes riding lessons, and where Daddy rode as a child with a group of friends who call themselves cowboys. Together, they saddle up the horses and set out through the dark silent streets of their city, returning when the sun comes up. Some of the cowboys are there to greet them, and Daddy takes his daughter home before heading back to the ranch to ride with his friends. When he asks her what her favorite part of the morning was, she considers the horses and the beautiful morning before responding, “Just us time!”

This is a sweet book that I wish I had seen in time for Father’s Day. It’s another one with vibrant illustrations, the colors popping off the pages, and I hope it will be considered for a Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and/or Belpré award. The family’s Panamanian heritage is woven into both the text and the illustrations. I would have loved to find out the inspiration for the book and was disappointed that there was no back matter.