Christina Matula’s The Beat of the Dragon Boat (9781534113206, $18.99) enjoys vivid, impressive illustrations by Nicole Wong as it follows a young boy’s education about the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.

As he attends his first festival, his grandfather tells him of an underlying legend behind how the first dragon boat races began, offering colorful history to accompany equally vivid first-person insights as the boy observes festival preparations and the creation of outstanding boats.

Libraries seeking additions to collections that include ethnic history and Chinese experience will especially welcome this early introduction to an iconic tradition.