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The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box

The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer

Contributors

By Marcie Wessels

Illustrated by Beatriz Castro

Formats and Prices

Price

$19.99

Price

$25.99 CAD

Format

Hardcover

Format:

Hardcover $19.99 $25.99 CAD

Crazy about Wii, Nintendo, X-Box, and PlayStation? Meet the inventor whose work made them all possible: Ralph Baer, creator of the first home video game system!
 
Today, the video game industry keeps growing, with ever more platforms available to fans. But how did the very first system come about? This picture-book biography of Ralph Baer, whose family fled Nazi Germany for the US, introduces kids to a great inventor AND the birth of the first home console. Using wartime technology, Baer thought outside the box and transformed the television into a vehicle for gaming; Baer’s invention, the Odyssey, is a precursor to the Atari gaming system. Today, interactive systems like Wii and PlayStation are descendants of Ralph’s innovative “Brown Box,” making this award-winning inventor the true “Father of Video Games.”
 

On Sale
May 12, 2020
Page Count
48 pages
Publisher
Union Square Kids
ISBN-13
9781454932598

Marcie Wessels

About the Author

Marcie Wessels is the author of Pirate’s Lullaby: Mutiny at Bedtime. She has a PhD in Latin American Literature from Tulane University. Previously she taught Spanish Language and Literature at the University of San Diego. She lives in San Diego, CA.

Beatriz Castro born in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain. After graduating from the School of Arts in Logroño in 2008, she embarked on a career as a professional illustrator. Her art has appeared on covers and in books produced by international publishers. Beatriz lives in her native town with her family.

Learn more about this author