Jerry changed the game! How engineer Jerry Lawson revolutionized video games forever by Don Tate, illustrated by Cherise Harris

 I have a much larger audience for picture book biographies than I've had in the past, but they're still generally not something I personally enjoy. However, every once in a while I come across one that is such an excellent combination of text and illustrations, with just the right amount of context for its audience, that I can't wait to recommend it!

Don Tate has written numerous excellent nonfiction and biographical picture books, and has also illustrated several as well, notably Whoosh! a biography of another Black inventor, Lonnie Johnson. In this book, he takes over as author and the illustrations are handled by the capable Cherise Harris.

Readers are first introduced to Jerry Lawson as a young child, tinkering with toys, encouraged by his parents to learn and study, and facing every day racism in the world of the 1940s. As he grew, Jerry continued tinkering, meeting his future wife as he repaired TV sets and taking classes in electronics, although he did not earn a degree. The illustrations begin to change from the classic brownstones of 1940s New York to the stylized rainbow lines of the 1960s as Jerry grows, explores, and studies. He moves to California and continues standing tall and tinkering as he works as an engineer in Silicon Valley, and through the advent of video games. The illustrations change with Jerry as he experiments with the rise of video games in the 1970s, with blocky cartridges, and Jerry Lawson sporting a stylish check suit and sideburns!

Tate dives into the world of video games, explaining how the early cartridge systems worked and how Jerry and his team worked to develop the first video game console. Although the Fairchild system was quickly overshadowed by the new Atari and other consoles, Jerry went on to start the first Black-owned video game company, and although it went out of business in the crash of video game companies in the 1980s, he remained a little-known but pivotal figure in the development of video games.

Tate's note at the end discusses the development of ideas and technology and Jerry's later life and a short note from author Cherise Harris talks about her research to make the art authentic to the time period. A timeline of Lawson's life and video game technology and a glossary are also included. There are also sources, references, and links to hear Jerry Lawson speak in person.

Verdict: Tate does an excellent job of introducing Lawson's life and work in an interesting way, not smoothing over the challenges he had to meet, but also highlighting the important moments. Harris' art is a great accompaniment, catching the flavor of the different time periods and I was especially impressed that she didn't have stylized (i.e. skinny) body types, but showed Lawson's bigger frame and a variety of body types. An excellent and unique picture book biography that should be a top choice for classrooms and read-alouds to older audiences.

ISBN: 9781665919081; Published August 2023 by Simon & Schuster; Review copy provided by the publisher; Purchased for the library