The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer

People Who Shaped Our World

by Marcie Wessels, Beatriz Castro (Illustrations)

Crazy about Wii, Nintendo, X-Box, and PlayStation? Meet the inventor whose work made them all 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.”
 

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, History, Stem, Science

48 pages, Hardcover

Published April 14, 2020

Reviews

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating story about Ralph Baer, an inventor I definitely was not aware of before today. After learning English and helping his Jewish family get visas to flee Germany to the US during WWII, Baer became a skilled radio technician, engineer, inventor and more. I loved following his story and seeing all the incredible things he accomplished in his lifetime, just amazing! While this is meant to look mostly at his invention of the first at home video game console, I found all the details of what Baer did fascinating. I did wish that there was a timeline of the events in Baer's life included in the back matter. There is a great list for further reading that I might explore someday. I want to read more about this amazing man who also invented the Simon game, on top of everything else!

[Some Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad they've started writing books for kids about famous historical figures in gaming! The pictures are cool too.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

To say that after reading this I feel ignorant for not knowing who Ralph Baer is an understatement. Ralph Baer seems like the sort of name that kids should know as well as other big names in electronics inventors. The video game is hardly the only contribution he made. This book does him some justice in that it should bring his importance to the forefront of readers' minds. It's well-written and invitingly illustrated. The end matter includes everything that a reader should hope for in a piece of nonfiction. I really enjoyed this one.

[Waelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book, and I think it's so cool that nothing stopped Ralph Baer from what he loved. 7/10.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's most interesting about this is the story, which I think a lot of people haven't heard. It's well told. The illustrations are good, but I wish there was a little more context. The final picture basically sums it up with...and this was where basically all games we play now have come from, with drawings of various interactive and video games made in the last 50 years with no context or explanation as to what they are. My kid asked, why is there a bear? And I knew the answer because that's Teddy Ruxpin and I was a child of the 1980s, but not everyone is going to know that answer. So it's a good book and I would definitely recommend it, but I wanted it to be more.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer is a children's picture book written by Marcie Wessels and illustrated by Beatriz Castro. It centers on Jewish inventor Ralph Baer as he never stopped pursuing his passion for learning, tinkering, and building, whether to solve problems, advance technology, or find new ways to spread fun.

Ralph Henry Baer was a German-American inventor, game developer, and engineer.

Wessels' text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Wessels narrates the story of Baer's inventive history in a conversational tone, using exclamation marks and posing rhetorical questions. Backmatter includes an author's note, a list of additional reading, and selected bibliography. Castro's illustrations combine cartoonish exaggeration with realistic details, including plenty of tubes and plugs, to depict Baer's journey.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. This biography focuses on Baer's childhood in Cologne, Germany, his emigration to the United States, military service, and career in electronics. Throughout his life Baer has always been building and tinkering. In 1972, after years of rejection, Baer's video game console that turned televisions into gaming systems was released as the Magnavox Odyssey.

All in all, The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer is a personable and energetic introduction with a positive message.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book biography. Ralph Baer is a largely unknown name that started an industry many of us are familiar with: video games. Before Pong or Atari, Ralph Baer released the Magnavox Odyssey as the first stand alone video game console. He actually tried to have it on the television, but the tv producers were not interested. This book details Ralph's story-- how he spent a lot of time inside as a child due to being Jewish in Germany, how his family fled to the US and he created a leather punch to help them do their piecework from the leather goods factory more efficiently, how he built a radio from scratch while in the army, and went on to become fascinated by TV. He also created the famous Simon toy. I liked the story, but I thought it needed more context. Biographies without a timeline are my new pet peeve (brought to you by the stack I read this week), as it's hard to place "at the age of 21" when no birth year is presented. I also would have liked a video game timeline, even though I know that wasn't entirely the point of the book. Overall a good story on a popular topic, may inspire some to do their own additional digging to fill in a few information holes.

[Mano (Leslie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 7 year old son and I read this about 4-5 times after checking it out from our library, as he is obsessed with gaming, the history of gaming, game consoles and is learning coding as well. We also read another book about Ralph Baer and this book is the clear star of the two we tried so far.

The anecdotes of Ralph Baer's life included are illustrative of a wonderfully wired brain, that brought so many fantastic inventions to the world, and smiles to people's faces who found a new way to play and interact because of his creations. The delicate subject of how Ralph's family came to end up in America is explained well, and with care.

There were such interesting details about his life in this book that we did not see in others, and hence added so much more color and life to this amazing innovator's story.

I feel like this author could make biographies and non fiction really interesting to kids who may struggle to be engaged with non fiction. The pairing with the illustrator was an awesome one too, because the art was fitting and scenes were captured in a way that expressed emotion and movement although being fixed on paper.

[Kirsti Call · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He brainstormed a solution . . .
drew up a design. . .
and built a prototype."

This picture book biography is engaging and informative. My 9 year old was mesmerized by the details Macie Wessels chose to include, and the bright illustrations that enhance the text. I especially loved the metaphor of thinking outside the box. The book teaches not only about Ralph Baer, but also about how things are invented and created. Themes of this book include, creativity, thinking outside the box, persistence, and hard work. This is the perfect book for any child who is interested in video games or inventing.

[Beth Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of WWII, discrimination, of immigrants who found their way by working hard to rebuild their lives, and a boy who sought solutions. It’s a story of curiosity, perseverance, and resilience. I love the imagery of boxes in the story. There are so many ways to understand this idea, how we live in “boxes,” how we box ourselves in, how the people who break new ground have to reach outside the box. And then all the physical boxes—from the box of construction kit pieces in the opening to radios, TVs, and ultimately video games. With so many kids into video games, this is a great story to expand their understanding of how something like that came to be.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this history lesson. I never knew that the inventor of video games had been a Jewish boy during the rise of the Nazi party in Germany and an immigrant to America. Ralph Baer was a dreamer and accomplished many feats of engineering in his lifetime. It was a pleasure to introduce my STEM-loving son to him.

What strikes me about stories of inventors is that there is always someone in them who doesn't believe in the idea, and the inventor always has to decide to press on anyway and find someone who does. This is such a powerful life lesson. I was glad to have this opportunity to share it with my kids.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short illustrated book is an interesting look at a man whose life and creations are largely overlooked, even though he created the first home video game and the popular Simon game. As a teen, he helped his family get out of Nazi Germany before World War II, and lived an interesting life based on the idea of looking forward to new technologies and uses for them.
Kids who are interested in games may find his story to be fascinating, but the real value of the story is that he kept trying, kept working, and kept inventing.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can imagine my two sons devouring this book back in the days when video games were their passion and before they grew up and took on other responsibilities. I bet youngsters today will be fascinated to learn how the games they play today first began. This will be an important resource for students working on research projects. I sure wish it had been around to pique the interest of students I remember who had a hard time coming up with topics that interested them. I appreciated Beatriz Castro’s gorgeous artwork here.

[Keila Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcie Wessels introduces a young audience to the story of Ralph Baer, a man who had the curiosity and perseverance to become an inventor despite the times and circumstances he faced being Jewish during WW11. Kids love to build and create, and this story helps them understand how Baer's tinkering led to his invention. In The Boy Who Thought Outside The Box, Wessels tells the story of resilience weaved through the biography of the man who became "the Father of Video Games".

[Tina Cho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gamers will love finding out about Ralph Baer in this picture book biography. Wessels has a way with words as she depicts Baer’s life during Hitler’s time, how his imagination and creativity allowed him to invent so many things, not just game consoles. Not only Ralph’s story, but readers will learn about the history of entertainment from radio to box television sets to game consoles. A very interesting read!

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about Ralph Baer who liked to make models. He spent a lot of time alone when he was young and was kicked out of school in Nazi Germany for being Jewish. His family moved to New York and learned English and made leather goods. He designed a way to punch the holes and make them faster. He tinkered with radios, televisions, and finally found ways to make electronic video games.

[Christina Dendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4yo boy and 9yo girl both really enjoyed this biography. It's longish but the kids didn't lose attention, and it weaves in some history as well as Baer's personal story. This provoked some conversation, too. A good read, and recommended.

[Carol Gordon Ekster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written and inspiring story of perseverance and creative genius. Kids will love this. And I loved how the author slipped about how he escaped from hate against Jews in Nazi Germany in the perfect way for a picture book. Impressive!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elementary level picture book biography of Ralph Baer who created the first video game system. Takes you from his childhood in Nazi Germany to his immigration to America and career inventing electronics some even went to the moon.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super informative, because I did not know this guy existed at all. Also, it is startling to think that video games COULD have become a reality in the 1950s, instead of 1960s/1970s.

Verdict: This was quite good.

[Ellie King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book about Ralph Baer and how video games came to be. It was a story that I didn't even know. I think it would be a great one for history lessons or simply for young children who love video games.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only wish it was more fun to read for children.Great story of the inventor.

[Kimberly Wright Oelkers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! What a great introduction for kids who love video games and want to become creators!

[Bon Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I learned about how Ralph Baer made the first video game.

[Sunny Kim]

I learned that he was persistent and he was creative. I am glad that he made a lot of the games that I play today.

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read to learn how the first video game was created. Like most inventors, readers learn that it didn't come easy and the importance of perseverance.

[Lauren Kerstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BOY WHO THOUGHT OUTSIDE THE BOX: THE STORY OF VIDEO GAME INVENTOR RALPH BAER is a fascinating, well-written story! I learned so much!

[Roozy Doozy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s about a video game inventor. I like it, but it’s not my favorite because they could have expressed it better. It wasn’t exciting enough.

[Katie Reilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was looking for a picture book to pair with a StoryWorks article about Roblox and came across this one. My 4th grade students also love picture book biographies, so this was a great fit!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never knew about Ralph Baer but was fascinated to learn about his life and career.