AlphaBit: An ABC Quest in 8-Bit

AlphaBit: An ABC Quest in 8-Bit is an example of a book wherein the work’s physical format and the contents are at odds. The publisher’s recommendation of an audience of two to four-year-olds is supported by the board book format, and alphabet books are commonly used with toddlers as vocabulary builders. Additionally, AlphaBit is a search and find book in which (almost) each letter of the alphabet is accompanied by a list of four to six words that have to be matched with objects or actions found in the illustrations. And again, this matching of word and object is an approach commonly employed in board books for the young.

However, AlphaBit: An ABC Quest in 8-Bit departs from the typical board book in one major way. Juan Carlos Solon illustrates the pages so that the spreads resemble screens of third generation video games from the 8-Bit era. The resulting “blurriness” of the illustrations will definitely challenge members of a very young audience who are being asked to identify things that could be unfamiliar to them even if they were being visually presented realistically. The book avoids dealing with the letters “Q”, “X”, “Y” and “Z”. The “Q” pages carries the text “Continue?” “Quit” “Quest on!” while the other three letters all appear on the same page as “X-cellent!”, “Yay!” and “Zoiks!”

Though an older audience might respond to the idea that they are sort of playing a video game, the board book format may be off-putting.