This is a cute rhyming and beautifully illustrated picture book promoting patience, perseverance, growth and support.
When it comes to the execution of the nuances, it lacks a little, but I highly recommend it nevertheless because of the bond between Riley and his family, and the lessons Riley learns.

This book sends a great message about perseverance and patience with a lovely rhythm and rhyme to it. It features a beautiful family with hints about when even the parents were younger! Would recommend for children 5+.

I really wanted to like this story. Honestly, the story is pretty good. It has rhyme, it has a rhythm, and the book follows it well. However, it is overly long. The other thing is the illustrations. Illustrations are great, however towards the back of the book and particular ones set of pages. Pages are so colorful and detailed that there was no place to put the words. So they outlined black letters in white. This makes it readable, but also doesn’t look good and doesn’t match the flow of the rest of the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Ella Riley group for this beautiful ARC in exchange of an honest review.

It's good book and I found it not suitable for my preschooler as it has long sentences. For older kids it will definitely be better. I love when poems rhyme. That's how poems should be.

It is good book with a simple but important lesson to teach kids.

As a musician and a former elementary music teacher- I absolutely loved this. Practicing takes patience!
The illustrations are vibrant and super cute. A good lesson for younger kids who are starting off on a new instrument- just keep trying! My nephews will love this.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Riley loves drumming but can’t seem to get the rhythm right. His mom, a drummer, is always there to cheer him on and help him out. This book shows how music can bring a family closer and how hard work pays off. Riley learns from his grandpa’s wisdom and his mom’s encouragement. He realizes that he shouldn’t give up but keep practicing and be patient. This is a great story for kids who love music or who need a boost of confidence. The pictures are awesome and match the mood of the story.

This story teaches patience, perseverance, and encouragement! I’m here for all the colored kid books!

Riley Finds His Beat
by Davina Hamilton
An inspiring book for not only young musicians but a story of family tradition, support and triumph. The ideas of the grandfather are passed down to his grandson not only in practice but in words. It becomes important to not give up, to keep trying, and things would happen in their own time. Its a great lesson for young children that they will not get everything immediately, and it takes time to figure something out.

My daughter (and I) adored this book! She is at an age where when something is difficult she gets easily frustrated and sometimes wants to give up.

This story approaches that situation very well, and I appreciate that it shows Riley trying on multiple occasions, and having to persevere and try again.

The illustrations were fantastic and really complemented the story nicely.

I love a story that rhymes, especially for getting my kids involved in predicting what might come next!

We will definitely be checking out the other books by this author!

To quote my mini book reviewer “ I liked that one. I don’t even have a favourite part, I love everything in that story. “

Very sweet book with a lovely moral.

Riley is getting frustrated that he can’t get the beat to play his drums. He keeps making mistakes and it is getting him upset.

His mother tries to explain that she had the same trouble when she was his age and that it just takes time. Riley becomes impatient and starts to lose hope in himself.

He hears the beat of the rain and the encouragement from his family, and in time, he is able to find his beat.

Great book explaining to children that they must keep trying when things get hard and not to lose faith in themselves if they can’t get something first time.

An adorable story that shows that perseverance and support from your loved ones can take you far. It was a little hard to read the words on one of the pages due to the formatting but overall, a fun book with a sweet message and cute pics.

Conveys a good message of giving yourself time to get something right so covers the theme of resilience which I liked. Felt the rhyme a little forced at times.

This book teaches children a lesson about persistence and patience. I think that this book is relatable for many kids expecting to be good at something right away whether it be playing an instrument, sport, or other hobby. This book sends a good message that hard work and practice pays off. My three-year-old did not have the attention span for this story, but I think that it is a good book for children who are in elementary school. There is a nice rhythm and rhyme while reading this book making it more enjoyable for adults to read along.

Thank you to The Ella Riley Group and NetGalley or providing me with a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an adorable story about a young boy named Riley, who is learning to play the drums. He is encouraged by his mum, who is an ace drummer - and who, in turn, had learned to play the drum from her father, Riley's grandfather.

Riley practices and practices but he doesn't seem to quite get the beat right. So that is really frustrating him. But as his mum tells him, things will work out when it is the right time. In the meantime, he simply has to be patient and to keep trying.

Others also encourage him, and Riley is inspired by the sound of the rain. So although he feels that it is taking too long, he keeps trying. And one day, he finally finds his beat!

This is a story where the rhyming text is done really well and the illustrations are very nice. There is an important lesson here about perseverance of course, and the writer delivers the message effectively through this book. Recommended for the target age group. I give it 3.5 stars.

This was my first book by Davina Hamilton and it won't be my last. Absolutely loved this story about Riley persevering through his struggle to find his beat. My kiddos and I read it together and loved finding the beat in the rhymes the story was told in and appreciated the encouragement Riley received from the people around him like his mum.

We also appreciated the reminder that others also struggled but in time, with persistence and practice, they found their beat, and so did he. I know this one will be read again and again.

The illustrations were delightful and the words heartwarming. Definitely a book I'll be sharing with all the children in my life. Highly recommend.

#RileyFindsHisBeat #DavinaHamilton
#BlackChildrensStories #representation #OwnVoices #BlackBookstagram #NetGalley

Motivation is the biggest encouragement.

Riley tried hard to get his beat from the drums he played but failed every time. But he never stopped trying even when he get disappointed from himself trying. "Continue to practise and you'll be sublime - but nothing will happen before it is time." This is all he get when his elders saw him going hard on himself.
But as it has been said, "Practice makes a man perfect", he got his rhythm at last and his perseverance paid well.

This is such a lovely book! As a parent, and a preschool teacher this is definitely one young children will enjoy! This book was fun and the images were vibrant and engaging.

Such a charming book about perseverance and practice! My almost four year old loved it. This was a fun book to read aloud due to the rhythmic pattern of the story. The illustrations and vocabulary provided a lot of additional things for my child and I to discuss as we read. I particularly loved the illustrator’s attention to detail and the positive messages on the characters’ t-shirts.

Review provided in exchange for ARC.

This was a sweet rhyming story covering the frustrations of learning a new instrument. Riley's perseverance is encouraged by his family, and while he struggles across a number of days he is able to find is beat through the sounds in the streets and through dance. A great message and rhythmic verse, perfect for young musicians.

I have a degree in Music Education and this book totally charmed me. Overall, it’s a sweet book about the time and patience it takes to learn anything new, and how overcoming frustration and pushing forward will pay off in the end! But it also has some of the little music education gems that we love to see, especially when Riley hears “the beat” in the rain outside or when dancing with his cousins. This would be a great way to start a conversation with a class about where they can hear rhythms in their daily lives.

The message of persevering is good for any child attempting to learn anything new, but it is especially sweet if you’d like to start a conversation about music! I would recommend it to anyone.