How to Code: A Step-By-Step Guide to Computer Coding

Written and Illustrated by Max Wainewright

I have been looking for a great book on coding for our students. Coding is very “in” right now. Many books for children only describe what coding actually is and aid young readers in understanding the way computers “talk.” This is an important step, but those books do not TEACH coding. This book teaches and does it in a fun, very understandable way. The page before chapter one tells the reader how to access popular coding languages: Logo, Scratch, and Python (both for a PC and a MAC.) It teaches about these coding languages and then gives instructions to start coding basic moves (such as “turn right”), looping, sound affects, adding graphics, debugging and more! This is a fantastic book for anyone new to coding. Now I must politely end this review so that I might go and see if I can code a “swimming fish”.

Review by Teresa Edmunds, Westbrook Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 3-8

This book is so user friendly! In the introduction, author Max Wainewright, explains important terms in simple words and walks readers through the step-by-step process of coding. For example, “coding means writing a set of words, or ‘code’ that will tell a computer what to do.”

Wainewright also uses fun illustrations to bring the steps of coding to life.

I had never known what coding was, but since I’ve read this book, I think it would be fun to go to the “Logo” and “Scratch” websites and gain some experience with coding.

Review by Laurie Blake, Roosevelt Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★½✩ (3.5 stars)
Interest Level: 3rd through 7th Grade

How to Code: A Step-By-Step Guide to Computer Coding
Written by Max Wainewright
Sterling Children’s Books
127 pages
Release Date: October 4, 2016