Picture Book Analysis - complete
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“The Boy Who Thought Outside Of The
Box, The Story Of Video Game Ralph Baer” Book Summary
We meet Ralph Baer, an outstanding inventor whose family left Nazi Germany for the United States, in this interesting photo-biography book. Ralph's passion for learning, experiment-
ing, and building lead him to design something revolutionary: the first home video gaming de-
vice. During the war he used this to think outside of the box and converted the TV into an instru-
ment for video games. His creation, dubbed the Odyssey, was a forerunner to the venerable Atari
game device. Ralph’s groundbreaking paintings are responsible for the creation of modern inter-
active game systems such as the Wii and PlayStation. Sincerely, he is the "Father of Video Games.Young readers are introduced to Ralph Baer's fantastic experience in this exquisitely il-
lustrated e-book, which highlights how his ingenuity and tenacity shaped the video gaming in-
dustry. Ralph's journey from escaping persecution to transforming the entertainment industry in-
spires us all to look beyond norms and seize new chances.
There were many special features throughout the book such as one its inspirational journey, as described in the beginning of the book of how Ralph and his family escaped the German Nazi’s. Not only can this book be used throughout a STEM lesson it can also be used in a history lesson as the story does provide historical context, emphasizing the impact of World War II on Ralph’s life. Also, Beatriz Castro’s vibrant illustrations bring Ralph's story to life. From the busy streets of pre-war Germany to the excitement of gaming these visual help enhance the narrative. Finally,
the book celebrates Ralph Baer’s legacy naming him the “Father of Video Games”. The book en-
courages young readers to think beyond conventions and explore their own creative potential. How does the book introduce the Engineering Design Process
There were many different ways the book introduced the Engineering Design Process, one way was by Ralph continuing to improve and redesign his invention. Throughout the book we can see
Ralph build prototypes, experimenting with many different components. This falls into this process due to the many test, and refining that Ralph faced. Another way the book introduces the
process is by showing us Ralph’s creativity of coming up with this invention, this falls into the imaginary process. This process allowed Ralph to explore beyond the impossible.
How does Ralph use the “Habits of Mind” throughout the book?
Throughout the book Ralph uses the Habits of Mind one by using the method of “Persist and Learn from Failure” throughout the book Ralph faces multiple technical challenges, skepticism,
and many setbacks. But Ralph never gave up on his idea and ended up changing the world as we know it, because of his determination it mirrors the engineering mindset of solving problems me-
thodically. Another way Ralph used the Habits of Mind is by collaborating with his colleagues, and sharing his vision. Together, they refine the Odyssey. The book emphasizes that innovation often involves teamwork and diverse perspectives, and without the help of his colleagues he might not have seen his invention come to life. How could we implement this book in an EC-6 learning activity? Students would be interested in this book because many students are passionate about video gaming es-
pecially students from grades 1-6. This book takes the students on a journey on how the video games came to be. Another way is by creating a role model for the students. Ralph could become a role model to
a lot of the students by showing throughout all of his challenges he persisted. The students can see how passion and determination works hand to hand. It’s important for students to learn about Ralph Baer because his story exemplifies innovation and cre-
ativity. As a young inventor he thought outside of the box and created something no one thought was pos-
sible. Another reason why it is so important to learn about him is because of his resilience and persever-
ance, throughout his many trials and errors Ralph never gave up on his invention and continued to better himself and his invention. The book connects to key STEM content because throughout the book we see the character using the engineering design process, and habits of mind. Baer’s work laid the foundation for the video game in-
dustry. By learning about his innovations elementary and middle school students can appreciate the inter-
section of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It encourages our students to explore STEM fields and consider careers in technology. I would use this book for a “Design your own video game” lesson. I would first introduce who Ralph Baer is and what his contribution was to video games. I would also share a few details about his child-
hood and how he grew up. While reading the book to my students I would break down how STEM con-
cepts related to Ralphs work. Finally, once the book is over I would break up the students into small indi-
vidual groups, where the students would each come up with their own basic video game concept. The stu-
dents would come up with game screens, characters, and discuss game play mechanics. This lesson would
encourage creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork, all habits of the mind and engineering brief process.
References Wessels, M.( 2020) “The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer”
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