Customer Reviews

Little Bit & Big Byte: A Day at the Beach

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has been a huge hit with my students.
Our tech staff has enjoyed it too!
Heartwarming tale with wonderful illustrations!

Having been a computer programmer for many years, I was intrigued when I saw the title of this book. A children's book about computers? What a great idea! After I read it I was not disappointed and thrilled that so much thought and creativity had gone into this book to help young children learn about computers.

Little Bit & Big Byte was a surprisingly great book and very enjoyable for both me and the young children I was entertaining with this book. It is very creative and very fun along with a viable warning. I only hope Craig T. Feigh continues to write more children's books as this is definitely a winner. I highly recommend this book for readers aged five through about eight years old, although older children will also enjoy the story.

Though I vaguely recall picture books when I was a little girl, I do remember I loved reading them. Pictures grab a child's attention and adding a story along with it, only inspires them to learn to read themselves.

Creating a children's picture book based on computer characters was a very unique and well thought out idea. I found this 24-page story to be quite delightful and sure to entertain any young child.

Children are learning to use the computer before they've begun to walk and in some cases, before learning to talk. An active mind yearns to gather as much information as it possibly can and Little Bit & Big Byte - A Day at the Beach by Craig T. Feigh will surely have your child yearning to read, over and over again.

The illustrations are wonderful, full of color and happy faces. The storyline itself quite entertaining.

A delightful read.

Looking for an interesting way to introduce young children to the Internet? Then look no further than this charming story by Craig T. Feigh.

Little Bit, his older brother, Big Byte, and his little sister, Joy, set out for a day at the beach in Cyberville. Joining them are their dog, Click, and their cat, Browser.

There's a sandcastle-building contest today, so the siblings begin to build the best sandcastle they can. They are soon joined by their friends, Webster and Kay Board.

But danger looms on the beach, too, when two nefarious characters, Vi and Russ, urge Big Byte and Kay Board to "hang ten" and surf Web Beach. A bad outcome is narrowly avoided when a lifeguard warns that there are many Vi and Russ's out there just waiting to ruin your fun.

The author manages to introduce computers, the Internet, and Web surfing in a way that is fun and easy to understand for even the youngest of computer users. And with a hidden bone on each page adding to the fun, this is a great book for parents and children to read together.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Little Bit and Big Byte, the title characters, live inside of a computer in a town called Cyberville. They have a sister named Joy, a dog named Click (that is a Pointer) and a cat named Browser.

One day they decide to go to the beach. There they meet up with their friends Webster and Kay Board (who is slender, with a long neck and a face like a mouse). They build sand castles and have a good time until they see a sign that reads, "Danger, Wild Waves at Web Beach." Beside the sign are two other characters from Cyberville, Vi and Russ, who have come to the beach to surf. The danger sign doesn't scare them; they can handle big waves. Vi and Russ talk Big Byte and Kay Board into going out into the surf, even though the two have no experience surfing. They even let Big Byte and Kay Board use their new surfboards.

Of course, the two new surfers run into difficulty on the big waves. They are ultimately saved, but I won't tell how. You will have to read the book to find out.

I like the concept of a story about characters named after computer parts. That's something I don't think has been done before. The illustrations are cute and clever and very detailed. I also like the fact that there is a "bone" hidden in every illustration. This gives kids something to do while they're listening to the story (or after they've read the page, if they're old enough to read by themselves), making the book interactive. That's a plus in my opinion. Another plus is the lesson learned that there are some people out there who like to cause trouble and you should watch out for them.

However, I found the story a little less than exciting, although it's okay. Children will probably enjoy it. Also, although the illustrations are great, the layout was a bit boring, every page laid out the same way - an illustration on the top of the page with the text on the bottom of the page. The size of the text also changed, depending on the amount of text per page. I found that a bit disconcerting.

The author says the book (the first in a series he is planning on writing) is supposed to be "educational." I guess it is to the extent the characters are all named after computer parts and the illustrations depict the characters as computer parts with human characteristics like faces and feet. But, the relationship between the names and the functions of the parts isn't explained in the text. For example, even though the dog is named "Click" and the cat is named "Browser" these terms are not explained in the text. If the computer terms were printed in a different font type (like italics) or highlighted in some way to set them apart from the rest of the text, and there was a glossary of terms in the back of the book, then I could endorse the idea of the book being educational. Otherwise, it's just cute and clever.

But, all in all, I liked the book. There are enough computer-related puns laced throughout the text to satisfy any computer geek and the illustrations will capture a child's attention as well as their imagination. 4 stars

This is the first book to introduce young children to the world inside a computer and connected to others. Some children are more curious about what is making the computer work than what they see on the screen. I imagine that these will probably be technically inclined. However, for young children, all the words that are common to older children are incomprehensible. What is wonderful about "Little Bit and Big Byte" is that computer lingo is made simple, even fun and friendly, and it will be as valuable to a young child as to an older one as they continue to learn more.

It begins as a family living in Cyberville prepares to take a trip to the beach with their pets. Each character is given a common computer name such as the cat named Browser, who hides from their Pointer canine named Click. Little Bit is telling the story and introduces some of the characters as we travel with him. CD is the dad, Nettie is the mom, and he is a "chip" off the old block. Joy, his sister, is thin as a stick, and his brother Big Byte is delightful.

For geeks, you will notice that in binary code, eight completes one half of a half-word for system level programming, and consists of eight bits. Bit is the smallest addressable sub-field; it has two switches that are either one or zero, which is the true language of computers. Craig Feigh does not go into that detailed of an explanation since it is not necessary to traverse the Internet.

Feigh was wise, and ahead of other instructors, to recognize the need to start educating young children so they can grow with technology rather than being thrown into the techno world with no preparation. I applaud his intuition and look forward to more books because Feigh has a way with words that makes learning fun.

Patrick Carlson has done an astounding job with the pictures. They are bright and interesting. Each page has a hidden dog bone somewhere in the intricate drawing, and this makes children spend more time looking at the pictures as you read it to those too young to read, as well as for those who do read. By spending time studying the pages, the artist has taken the "fear" out of computers and given children the ability to know they can meet the challenge.

This is, without doubt, a five-star book. I recommend that every household buy a copy, and that is the first time I have ever done so. Grandparents will have the chance to read to their special munchkins. Other family members (perhaps geeks) will be able to enhance a child's learning. Reading it to a young child is fun, but reading it with an older child provides opportunities to discuss computers, the web, viruses, and components in more depth.

Additional detail: Kid tested. It has become the favorite book of my 3 1/2 year old darling friends.

Delightful read! Get your copy today.

Who knew computer chips could be so cute?

Craig T. Feigh's venture into authoring a computer-related children's book is a quite a gem, incorporating simple computer knowledge of cursors, the Internet, browsers, and viruses to tell of Little Bit and Big Byte's story of losing their dog and wave-surfing with a filthy-looking floppy disk.

The concept is extremely unique for a children's book, making it all the more interesting, even to a "seasoned" reader such as myself (at 18 years old). Yes, I actually quite enjoyed the book, and even preoccupied myself with finding the hidden bones in the illustrations, created by Patrick Carlson, found on each page. True, I am easily entertained, but that's not the point.

Kiddies who are showing an infinity for a keyboard can learn simple computer concepts from this book, including the incorporation of Webster's dictionary (who likes building sandcastles of book-shaped dinosaurs), the game joystick (Big Byte and Little Bit's younger sister), the aforementioned keyboard (a friend Big Byte has a massive crush on), and the mouse cursor (pet dog with a head shaped like a mouse's pointer arrow), just to name a few. Instead of the same old 'see-spot-run' tales, Feigh's delightful anecdote adds a fresh twist to a usually consistent genre.

However, I do wish the floppy disk crab had his own storyline. I just wanted to hug him to 'bits'!


- T.C. Robson

Little Bit & Big Byte" tells the story of Little Bit's life in Cyberville. Included in this story are his big brother Big Byte, his dog Click and his cat Browser. He also has a sister named Joy. Little Bit and Big Byte have an adventure while surfing at the beach. Surfing in Cyberville can be dangerous if you are not careful.
"Little Bit & Big Byte" has a fun story to tell that will activate the minds of children as they are reading. They will have fun figuring out how real computer terms are interspersed into the story. They will also enjoy the adventure that the characters go on. The book is colorfully illustrated with an exercise on finding a hidden bone in each illustration. This invites children to be more interactive in participating in the story. I think that it will pull them right into the adventure. It is also a modern story for our times; after all it takes place in the computer world.
This is the first children's book that I have seen that takes us into the Computer Age. As a computer instructor, I really think it is about time! I have to admit, even as an adult, I enjoyed the creativity of the story and the brilliantly colored illustrations. I highly recommend this book. I think teachers who are involved with introducing children into the world of computers will really love it. I have visions of these characters ending up in the cartoons on Saturday mornings. I look forward to sharing their story with my nieces and seeing Little Bit & Big Byte off on more adventures.

While the story contains many references to words used in computing and it is put forward as educational in the area of computing, I doubt whether it can succeed in that area. For example, the pair of bad guys is named Vi and Russ, which is of course a reference to a computer virus. However, young children will most likely not make the complete connection. Furthermore, Little Bit and Big Byte are names that the young child will not relate to the actions of a computer, as they are too young to completely understand the concept of binary data.
That criticism aside, as a children's story it is pretty good and the illustrations are colorful and will certainly catch the eye of the reading child. They contain an enormous amount of detail; it will take the child some time to comprehend all messages in the image. The story is presented as a series of screen images, with the keyboard underneath. One amusing point is that one of the evil characters has the shape of a square floppy disk, something that young children will most likely have never seen.
A good story that doesn't quite educate in the advertised manner, it still succeeds in being charming and attractive to young readers.

Little Bit and Big Byte is a unique children's book and it ranks as the first of its kind I have ever read. Children's books typical center on themes like family togetherness, friendship, helping those in need, being kind to others, etc. This book is different. It is a computer- themed book that follows the members of a family and their pets as they take a trip to the beach. But this is no ordinary children's book family. No, the characters in this family are named for some common words associated with personal computers. The book's goals are to introduce and/or reinforce some of the important facts about technology and computers to children between the ages of four and eight and teach them a lesson about the threat if viruses.

Little Bit and Big Byte is a cute book, but it also an educational book about computers. Not only are the characters named after various computer components, the shapes and the actions of each are also meant to help kids learn about computers. For example, Click, the dog, is a pointer and is shaped like the arrow that appears on a computer screen, used for clicking. The characters go out to surf where they encounter the evils of Vi and Russ. They escape this time, but a lifeguard warns them not to surf again unless they have had plenty of practice because there are many Vi and Russ's out there just waiting to spoil your fun.

Children's books are often known for having colorful illustrations, but in this book, the colorful component is taken to a new level. The book delivers a knockout punch with its precise cartoon- like drawings and multitude of backgrounds objects and patterns. These illustrations are far more complex than those of other children's books and they rank among the best I have ever seen in a children's book. The pages are overloaded with images in some cases, which may overwhelm the senses of younger children. But they will suit the target age group just fine.

The children in this book learn a lesson about the threat from viruses and they learn not to take chances again. The book ends with the kids and their two pets ready to head out on a new adventure. I get the feeling that, based on this ending, this is going to end up being a series of children's books with each new book offering a new adventure into the world of computers. This is one of the many beauties of Little Bit and Big Byte. It strives to teach kids about computers and when you consider all of the knowledge and risks that go into operating computers, this is the type of theme that can be expanded infinitely. The sky is the limit when it comes to the number of adventures in which this family can partake. I expect to see many more books like this in the future.

Overall, Little Bit and Big Byte is an excellent children's book and it is one of the most creative and clever I have read in a long time. Everything from the characters, to the illustrations , to the book's ultimate lesson about the threat of viruses makes this book a winner and I am anxious to see what adventure the author creates with his next edition.