James Finds the Beat

Hearing the beat helps James discover the courage to use his voice and find his community.

Hearing the beat helps James discover the courage to use his voice and find his community.

James is great at tests and homework, but speaking up in class? No way. Just the thought fills his chest with bumblebees. The one thing that makes the bees calm down is music. James can't bring music with him to class, though, or to the second worse place in school: the lunchroom. Everyone already has their friends; James is the odd one out. Until one day, he goes to lunch and hears something familiar. BOOM, TAP, BOOM, TAP, BOOM, TAP, TAP! Kids are rapping in a cypher! When the girl rapping passes the beat to James, he hesitates . until he gets lost in the music and finds his voice.

Bringing together a celebration of rap and an empowering mental health awareness message, James Finds the Beat features a young boy who struggles with social anxiety and who finds his voice and his community through music. An endnote includes discussion questions inviting children to explore the story and its ideas further.

Illustrator: Anastasia Magloire Williams

UK Delivery:

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Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

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