Nonfiction: When the Beat was Born
Author: Laban Carrick Hill
Illustrator: Theodore Taylor III
Illustrator: Theodore Taylor III
Genre: Nonfiction
Major Awards: Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award - Illustrator, ALA Notable Children's Books, Texas Bluebonnet Award (2015)
Age Group: 8-11 years old
When the Beat was Born tells the story of how one boy finds his passion for Djing, and how that passion started a revolution for the hip-hop community. The protagonist of the story is Clive and he loves music! Growing up in Kingston, Jamaica Clive loved to hear the music of a local DJ who went by the name of King George. King George would always play his music at the coolest parties, but since Clive was too young he could never go. Instead, before every party he would go to help them set up. Seeing King George made Clive want to be a DJ too someday. When Clive was 13 he left Jamaica to live with his mom in Bronx, New York. Aside from Djing and music, Clive loved sports specifically basketball and gave himself the nickname "Cool as Clyde" after his favorite basketball player. Although, since Clive was really tall his friends called him "Hercules", which he later shortened to Herc and combined with his first nickname to make "Kool Herc". One day Clive's dad brings home a huge sound system that produced an even bigger sound. Clive and sister decided to rent out the rec center in their housing project and invited everyone who was anyone to join their party. This was the first time that Clive would DJ. That night Clive became more comfortable with the turntables, he began reading the crowd and found that the crowd really enjoyed dance breaks. The more Herc hosted these parties the more comfortable he became, he started giving toast and shout-outs to the audience, introducing strobe lights, and even hired an MC. Everyone loved DJ Kool Herc's music and would often come out to dance and do tricks during the music breaks; DJ Herc called them " break-dancers or b-boys". So many people would come to see DJ Kool Herc perform. Kids looked up to him and wanted to be DJ's themselves when they grew up. DJ Kool Herc originated Hip Hop and put the beat in heartbeat.
When the Beat was Born was a fun book that I think would make a really nice addition to any 3rd-6th-grade classroom library. The book tells about how Hip Hop originated and the mastermind behind it. I think this book would make for a good read-aloud in class. The book can be used in music and social studies to talk about the evolution of music over time. The book also comes with a timeline of DJ Kool Herc's career that can also come in handy when learning about him and his life. The book is such a fun loving story that tells everyone if we follow our passion, we too can make history!
Age Group: 8-11 years old
When the Beat was Born tells the story of how one boy finds his passion for Djing, and how that passion started a revolution for the hip-hop community. The protagonist of the story is Clive and he loves music! Growing up in Kingston, Jamaica Clive loved to hear the music of a local DJ who went by the name of King George. King George would always play his music at the coolest parties, but since Clive was too young he could never go. Instead, before every party he would go to help them set up. Seeing King George made Clive want to be a DJ too someday. When Clive was 13 he left Jamaica to live with his mom in Bronx, New York. Aside from Djing and music, Clive loved sports specifically basketball and gave himself the nickname "Cool as Clyde" after his favorite basketball player. Although, since Clive was really tall his friends called him "Hercules", which he later shortened to Herc and combined with his first nickname to make "Kool Herc". One day Clive's dad brings home a huge sound system that produced an even bigger sound. Clive and sister decided to rent out the rec center in their housing project and invited everyone who was anyone to join their party. This was the first time that Clive would DJ. That night Clive became more comfortable with the turntables, he began reading the crowd and found that the crowd really enjoyed dance breaks. The more Herc hosted these parties the more comfortable he became, he started giving toast and shout-outs to the audience, introducing strobe lights, and even hired an MC. Everyone loved DJ Kool Herc's music and would often come out to dance and do tricks during the music breaks; DJ Herc called them " break-dancers or b-boys". So many people would come to see DJ Kool Herc perform. Kids looked up to him and wanted to be DJ's themselves when they grew up. DJ Kool Herc originated Hip Hop and put the beat in heartbeat.
When the Beat was Born was a fun book that I think would make a really nice addition to any 3rd-6th-grade classroom library. The book tells about how Hip Hop originated and the mastermind behind it. I think this book would make for a good read-aloud in class. The book can be used in music and social studies to talk about the evolution of music over time. The book also comes with a timeline of DJ Kool Herc's career that can also come in handy when learning about him and his life. The book is such a fun loving story that tells everyone if we follow our passion, we too can make history!
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