Steampunk Alphabet

by Nat Iwata

Every family needs an alphabet book. That's a given. But until now there has not yet been a compelling Steampunk-themed ABC book. Nat Iwata has been doing steampunk art for several years in the video game industry, and now he has illustrated a visually compelling, fun-for-all-ages Steampunk Alphabet book that is approachable both to fans and those unfamiliar with Steampunk. In light of that, while all of the illustrations are total Steampunk, the opening 'letter sentence' for each page is a familiar word. For example "A is for Apple." The idea of taking everyday ordinary things and reimagining them as Steampunk is sure to be a crowd pleaser, and especially appeal to all of the hipster parents. The second part of each page is a description of the object as set in the Steampunk world. This portion will be more enjoyable to older kids and adults to enjoy, while the book could be read entirely with just the 'letter sentences' for younger readers.

Genres: Steampunk, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Juvenile

56 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2013

About the author

From the author's website:

"Hi there, my name is Nat Iwata and I'm an experienced artist living in the Portland, OR area. I've been working primarily as an art director in the video game industry for the past 6 years, but have also done artwork for books, apps, and print. My first book, funded by Kickstarter, is coming out in the Spring. I love working on cool projects with a focus on fantastic artwork and story."

Reviews

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

On display at the San Diego Public Library because they were prepping for a huge Steampunk event. I was intrigued! So, imagine a basic children's alphabet book. Imagine you are a character with a child within a steampunk world. This is what you'd share with him or her, read-aloud style as you bounce the toddler on your knee. In the corner of each page is a cute little quote, I believe, from different steampunk pieces, and I imagine (although I'm not sure) that these items are pulled from real stories.

Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed both text and illustrations, so a steampunk fan of any age would drool over this, even though it's technically a board book for kids.

[alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love alphabet books and steampunk, so it's not shocking that i thought Steampunk Alphabet was fairly adorable. The book presents a different imaginary invention for each letter with a four line poem describing the object. A small aside next to the letter gives some "background" information on the invention of the object that draws from an alternative Victorian history. The images are bright, endearing, and not overly complicated. The book would be fun to use in various lessons including creating useful or fun inventions without technological limitations, illustrating or describing a situation in which one of these objects could be used, or looking at various ABC books as inspiration for creating one as a class or individual project. The original language and context would be over preschoolers' heads, but my first graders would have handled it just fine with some discussion to clarify and guide.

[virany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know nothing about Steampunk, unless being vaguely aware of its existence counts, but a preview glimpse of Nat Iwata's artwork in this fascinated me, and that's how this grownup bought her first alphabet book. And though I think I have a pretty solid grasp of my ABC's, I still loved reading this. The illustrations are beautiful, the book design gorgeous, but add the inspired text and suddenly the alphabet becomes a window into an imaginary world I want to see more of. I plan to buy this for my friends' kids, but only the ones I like, and mainly so I can ensure they keep their grubby paws off of my copy.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this little volume and think it's a fine steampunk alphabet book, so I'm rather perplexed to read recently in Publishers Marketplace that another steampunk alphabet book deal had been made. Is there such a huge market for steampunk alphabet books?

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun, but it's definitely geared towards adults. My kiddos who are just learning the alphabet liked looking at some of the pictures, but they didn't understand most of it.

[Lisa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of steam punk so this was a treat for me. The objects look like the inner workings of a pocket watch but are steam machines.

[Erik Koster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute solid gold.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art in this is really nice, but I guess I'm a little confused about the audience it's intended for. Perhaps it's located in the wrong place in our library (with picture books for young children), but even if it isn't, I'm not sure where else I'd be comfortable putting it. There's an awful lot of small print text for a book aimed at children, but I'm not sure the alphabet book concept will really appeal to kids or teens old enough to read the small print and understand what steampunk is. I definitely think books about the steampunk genre could be a nice thing, but this one...just feels off to me.

But other folks are loving it, so...

[Susannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the library this is catalogued as a children's picture book, however the descriptions of the steampunk items for each letter of the alphabet are much too sophisticated for a simple children's story. The format, however, is much like a children's board book, so I am unsure as to who the target audience is for this. However, I enjoyed reading it. An item of steampunk technology is listed for each letter of the alphabet, with the description given in rhyme. There is also prose on each page describing the history of the item, as well as an illustration. I would recommend adults read this too.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun little book! Nat Iwata's steampunk alphabet book introduces readers to a whole new world one letter at a time. Each spread features beautiful illustrations of a steampunk artifact as well as a rhyming couplets that describe the item and its uses. This book seems like it would be enjoyed most by teens and adults who are already familiar with the steampunk genre, but it none the less makes for an interesting and enjoyable read!

[Literary Princess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book truly is exactly what it says - a steampunk alphabet. Sharp illustrations and clever poems make up the book, along with a few short dictionary-like descriptions for each letter's item. Our library has it catalogued as YA fiction, but I don't believe that's a good designation. This was a kickstarter project, and it rather defies obvious categorization. Sort if a coffee table book, only small. Cute.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was browsing the picture book section of my local library when the word "Steampunk" jumped out at me. I think the book concept is great. The illustrations are lovingly detailed. I enjoyed looking through this neat little book. I'm just not sure how appealing this book would be for the preschool set.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love steampunk books, so I figured I would give this a try. I’m not sure what the age range on this book should be, as it is way too much text for the same kind of book. My son enjoyed looking at the pictures. There are descriptions of each letter and the rhyme that followed the letters. It was a cool concept, just didn’t really work well in my opinion. Recommended for ages 5+, 3 stars.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love steampunk, then you will love this book. Illustrations are gorgeous.

[V]

We were going to be attending Steampunk Weekend at local Tower Hill Botanic Garden, so T needed to know what steampunk was. Just showing him my Gail Carriger books wasn't quite cutting it, so we set out for the library. We asked for help at the children's desk (the children's librarians in Worcester are awesome!) and were given the only children's steampunk book in the library.

V and T's Review
(T age 3 years)

Steampunk inventions correspond to each letter of the alphabet.

As we read, we talked a little bit about what we saw in each image, and what steampunk is. T understands it to be machines and metal and steam coming out; the pictures helped him understand what to expect in the floral displays and costumes he would see when we visited Tower Hill. It filled its purpose for us, but the text is appropriate to a ten-year-old. What ten-year-old is in need of an alphabet book? T asked several times what different words meant. He did like pointing out where the steam came out in each picture, and afterward said some of the inventions he liked: "I like the egg. It is kind of neat. It is neat how those stuff can make noise and some stuff can't. I like that there is a part that can zip itself." T also liked that the pages were cardboard and he could hold the book and turn the pages easily himself.

Overall, I'd say that the illustrations give a young audience an impression of steampunk machinery, but the content is a bit advanced for the format.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable collection of clever steampunk devices, each presented with a detailed explanation and a couplet. Inventive descriptions and intriguing text left me wanting a novel about the people mentioned... Give us more from this world!