Appealingly, this positive, highly accessible coding guide needs no computers.
A puzzle-based introduction to computer-programming concepts.
This computer coding book immediately sets itself apart by not using computers at all. Instead, readers write codes and complete puzzles by pencil and paper, play games in real life, and even do some arts and crafts. The four chapters follow Cody the robot, who helps the Nat Geo Explorers in their field missions—the readers are asked to program Cody to achieve the objectives of each chapter. Each chapter explores a set of concepts (such as algorithms, debugging, users and events, and conditionals) through varying activities. Some use classic challenges such as the traveling salesman problem; some encourage building physical items, for example making a cipher wheel for coded messages; and some are even games to be played with friends. The writing is crisp and clear throughout, and the text is laid out in easily digestible chunks that are broken up by frequent illustrations. Some images depict the various activities, some accompany relevant historical anecdotes, some are photographs of racially and gender diverse children, and many are beautiful nature pictures fitting the theme of each chapter’s challenge. Extensive backmatter includes solutions to the puzzles, additional exercises (including making slime), resources on coding computers directly, a glossary, and an index.
Appealingly, this positive, highly accessible coding guide needs no computers. (Nonfiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4263-3443-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Weaving together architectural, engineering and Native American history, Weitzman tells the fascinating story of how Mohawk Indian ironworkers helped construct the sprawling bridges and towering skyscrapers that dominate our urban landscape. The book begins with a brief but informative history of the Kanien'kéhaka—People of the Flint. Leaders in establishing the League of the Iroquois, a confederation of Indian nations in the New York region, Mohawks had a longstanding reputation for their sense of tight-knit community, attraction to danger and love for physical challenge, qualities that served them well when hired in the late 1800s to do the most arduous work in railroad and bridge construction. With the advent of the skyscraper, Mohawks possessing agility that seemed gravity-defying worked hundreds of feet above the ground. They were not immune to tragedy, and the author discusses in detail the collapse of the Québec Bridge that killed 31 Mohawk workers. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs that capture the daring spirit of these heroic workers, the concise, captivating account offers great insight into the little-known but considerable role Native Americans played in our architectural and engineering achievements. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59643-162-1
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Flash Point/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
Starting with a lonely slice of pizza pictured on the cover and the first page, Thornhill launches into a wide-ranging study of the history and culture of food—where it comes from, how to eat it and what our food industries are doing to the planet. It’s a lot to hang on that slice of pizza, but there are plenty of interesting tidbits here, from Clarence Birdseye’s experiments with frozen food to how mad cow disease causes the brain to turn spongy to industrial food production and global warming. Unfortunately, the volume is designed like a bad high-school yearbook. Most pages are laid out in text boxes, each containing a paragraph on a discrete topic, but with little in the way of an organizing theme to tie together the content of the page or spread. Too many colors, too much jumbled-together information and total reliance on snippets of information make this a book for young readers more interested in browsing than reading. Kids at the upper edge of the book's range would be better served by Richie Chevat's adaptation of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma (2009). (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-897349-96-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Maple Tree Press
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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