In this powerful and inspiring picture book, 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. Cesaria is going to perform for the seaside Carnival. She skips past the beach barefoot, dressed in her favorite peacock leotard. But when her dance director tells her she must put on her shoes to go on stage, Cesaria signs, “Peacocks don’t wear shoes!”
You see, Cesaria hears the music through the soles of her feet, but no one seems to understand…
…That is, until all the dancers take off their shoes, and learn to feel the music, just like Cesaria.
Cesaria Feels the Beat is a lyrical and heartfelt story about deafness, community, and Carnival.
When a child is diagnosed with hearing loss, it is overwhelming. The future can feel uncertain and parents might worry whether or not their child will thrive. Harper's real life story allows readers to follow her journey, providing both parents and children who are facing any kind of diagnosis a much-needed dose of encouragement. Through Harper's navigation of hearing loss, kids can imagine what is possible. Understanding and awareness are key to feeling included, and the community around a child with hearing loss is critical. This story shares ways people in a deaf or hard of hearing child's life can better support them. Harper's witty approach to storytelling resonates with young readers and will surely inspire the people who love and support them.
"All the Ways I Hear You" first introduces our young hard of hearing narrator, Sy, and his neat hearing aids. From there, Sy goes on to introduce his diverse group of friends who are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind and their own hearing technology and communication styles, like cochlear implants, bone anchored hearing systems, communication boards/tablets and sign language. The book also introduces other children in familial and support roles, namely a hearing sibling and a child of deaf adults.
This is the first book written by Stephanie Marrufo, who is Sy's mom. When Sy was diagnosed with hearing loss as a 2-year-old, Stephanie began searching for children's books that featured or included deaf and hard of hearing characters and found this type of resource to be extremely lacking. Once she decided to write her own, she realized the importance of being as inclusive as possible, and following that decision, this unique story came to life.
"All the Ways I Hear You" is beautifully illustrated by Priscila Soares, an artist with hearing loss who wears bilateral bone anchored hearing systems, and mother to a child born deaf who now has cochlear implants. She uses her talents to advocate for people with hearing loss by sharing their stories through her mixed media work.
If you are a d/Deaf or hard of hearing person, the parent or family member of a d/Deaf or hard of hearing child, an educator, a daycare provider, a medical or support professional providing services to d/Deaf and hard of hearing people, a community organization supporting d/Deaf and hard of hearing people, or if you are simply interested in adding inclusive resources to your children's book shelf... This is the book you've been waiting for!