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Junior Library Guild Selection | Eureka! Excellence in Nonfiction Honor | CBC Best STEM Book List | Mathical Book Prize Honor | BCALA Youth Literary Nonfiction Award | Communication Arts Illustration Shortlist
Meet Jerry Lawson, the Black engineer who revolutionized the video game industry, in this engaging picture book biography perfect for fans of Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions and Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History. Before Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch, there was a tinkerer named Jerry Lawson. As a boy, Jerry loved playing with springs, sprockets, and gadget-y things. When he grew up, Jerry became an engineer—a professional tinkerer—and in the 1970s, he turned his technical know-how to video games.
Back then, if players wanted a new video game, they had to buy an entire new console, making gaming very expensive. Jerry was determined to fix this problem, and despite roadblocks along the way and having to repeat a level or two, it was never game over for his mission. Eventually, he leveled up and built a brand-new kind of video game console: one that allowed players to switch out cartridges! He also founded Video Soft, Inc., the first African American–owned video game company in the country.
Jerry's tinkering and inventions changed the video gaming world forever. Today, gamers have access to hundreds of video games at the push of a button, all thanks to him. Game on!
Junior Library Guild Selection | Eureka! Excellence in Nonfiction Honor | CBC Best STEM Book List | Mathical Book Prize Honor | BCALA Youth Literary Nonfiction Award | Communication Arts Illustration Shortlist
Meet Jerry Lawson, the Black engineer who revolutionized the video game industry, in this engaging picture book biography perfect for fans of Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions and Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History. Before Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch, there was a tinkerer named Jerry Lawson. As a boy, Jerry loved playing with springs, sprockets, and gadget-y things. When he grew up, Jerry became an engineer—a professional tinkerer—and in the 1970s, he turned his technical know-how to video games.
Back then, if players wanted a new video game, they had to buy an entire new console, making gaming very expensive. Jerry was determined to fix this problem, and despite roadblocks along the way and having to repeat a level or two, it was never game over for his mission. Eventually, he leveled up and built a brand-new kind of video game console: one that allowed players to switch out cartridges! He also founded Video Soft, Inc., the first African American–owned video game company in the country.
Jerry's tinkering and inventions changed the video gaming world forever. Today, gamers have access to hundreds of video games at the push of a button, all thanks to him. Game on!
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
About the Author-
Don Tate is the award-winning creator of numerous picture book biographies, including Pigskins to Paintbrushes: The Story of Football-Playing Artist Ernie Barnes and William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad. He is a founding host of The Brown Bookshelf, a website that celebrates the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers. Tate's accolades include an Ezra Jack Keats Book Award and Honor, a Carter G. Woodson Book Award and Honor, two Christopher Awards, and several others. He lives with his family in Austin, Texas, and he invites you to visit him online at DonTate.com.
Reviews-
June 1, 2023 Grades K-3 This story of video game industry pioneer Jerry Lawson begins with his childhood, where in 1940s Queens, New York, he was an accomplished tinkerer. Emphasis is placed on his parents' focus on education and how much he loved tackling and solving engineering problems. From there, a straightforward chronology takes us through his move to Silicon Valley, where--as one of very few Black engineers--he landed at a microprocessor manufacturer and eventually partnered with them to create a video game console. Though the console ended in failure, Lawson's legacy is tied to the innovation of removable game cartridges, which back matter clarifies is a subject of some debate, though he was undeniably as influential as anyone else. More importantly, readers will understand that Lawson was a dedicated, determined, and inventive man who paved the way for video games and Black entrepreneurs, as evidenced by the quote, ""I'm one of the guys, if you tell me I can't do something, I'll turn around and do it.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
July 1, 2023 An African American boy who loved to tinker grew up to change the world of video games. Living in 1940s Queens, New York, Jerry Lawson loved to play with simple machines. His parents encouraged his interest in science, and after his mother gave him a shortwave radio for a Christmas gift, he became an amateur operator. As he got older and more experienced, he was able to use his talents to make repairs and build gadgets for friends. Jerry attended Queens College and the City College of New York but didn't obtain a degree; instead, he continued to learn more by tinkering on his own. In 1968 he left the New York area for Northern California, where technology was expanding. Though he often felt like an outsider, as one of the few Black engineers, he remained focused on his work. With arcade games surging in popularity, Jerry came up with a coin-operated video game called Demolition Derby. Impressed, his bosses tasked him with devising a game that could be played at home, a complicated problem to solve. Jerry ultimately came up with the concept of the removable cartridge. This lively biography of an unsung pop-culture hero shows how one person's curiosity and drive can have a huge impact. Harris' vivid illustrations and graphics complement Tate's engaging text. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Enticing and inspiring fare. (author's and illustrator's notes, timeline, glossary, bibliography) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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