Steampunk Alphabet

One fantastic specimen that I stumbled upon during my journey through children's steampunk was a little board book called “Steampunk Alphabet” by Nathanael Iwata. 

Just like a regular ABC book for ages of about 0-4, this book dedicates a page spread to each letter and in this edition, a delightful little poem to accompany the letter and explain it’s validity as a steampunk object. For example…

A is for Apple….well I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t immediately strike me as an essentially steampunk object…but the little poem and the illustration included with this page make an effort to demonstrate how an apple can in fact be steampunk. It reads,

“A is for APPLE – 

An apple shaped music box made to revere, 

The Capital’s founding of two hundred years. 

Though many were made in all shapes and sizes, 

Most were converted to listening devices”

Therefore, the apple is made into a mechanical device, fitting into the steampunk world. There is also a blurb of text on the page that explains the object in more detail, and on this page, it says 

“These elaborate music boxes, powered by a small amount of water and an occasional winding, are rare, as most of them were lost in the colony wars. The apples, also called “note stems”, have become a much sought after item among historical collectors, and it is believed that no more than six still exist in the world today.” 

In this case, the author, like many of the cosplayers at steampunk conventions, invents a world and a backstory where these inventions exist. In this way, the book participates in the welcoming, exploratory, collaborative element of steampunk and invites the young audience to expand not only their vocabulary, but their understanding of the contemporary world.

Another favourite of mine in Iwata’s alphabet book, was the letter G, which I found rather fitting for an early childhood introduction to the world of steampunk. For what do we and other steampunkers think of primarily when we consider the genre? What is one of the main images that comes to mind? Iwata has picked up on the steampunk aesthetic of the genre and satisfied that craving to associate the genre with articles of clothing. Hence, in the Steampunk Alphabet, what else could G stand for, but Goggles? 

Of course! But while the 'hardcore' steampunkers might scoff or shake their heads at just adding goggles and calling something steampunk, I especially loved the way the little poem for letter G made goggles a completely valid part of the steampunk world. It reads, 

“A good pair of goggles was becoming a must, 

With all of that steam and the smoke and the dust, 

As industrial sectors put themselves in a haze, 

Goggles were starting a new fashion craze.” 

So here, reminiscent of Cherie Priest's Boneshaker, the goggles are explained as having a practical purpose to avoid the dust and steam, and also referring to the fashionable culture that has risen up around steampunk aesthetics.

Therefore, Iwata's "Steampunk Alphabet" made for a solid start on my journey through the children's branch of the genre. It focuses a great deal on the imaginative, inventive, exploratory qualities that I mentioned in my definition of steampunk, and encourages children to imagine a world where things work differently and they can invent things that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also useful, efficient, and importantly rooted in self-production (ie, the genre prides itself in rebelling against mass production in modern society, so the intricately beautiful, and extremely efficient tools/apparel/objects etc. seen in steampunk are a product of care and focus on the usefulness of things).