An absolutely wonderful introduction to programming games.
A comprehensive guide to creating games in Scratch, a beginner-oriented programming language that uses visual blocks instead of raw code.
Woodcock begins by contextualizing computer games (explaining their elements, genres, and how computers think) and introducing Scratch (explaining its building blocks and how to acquire it and providing a rundown of what each part of the Scratch control window means). After this introduction, the book quickly has readers programming interactive games with animated characters, enemies, and scoring systems galore. Each of the eight games given (including mazes, jumping games, music patterns, races, and more) starts with a screenshot of the finished game that explains the roles of the characters and players’ objectives. Clear text and screenshots—of both code blocks and game visuals—then walk readers through each increasingly complicated programming step. While sometimes pages are information-dense, the steps’ numbering is easy to follow. Frequently, readers create their own images instead of using preprogrammed ones. What’s especially nice about the instructions is that they aren’t framed as “do this, then this”—they fully explain why (right down to meanings of number variables) and provide fixes for anticipated bugs. Each game chapter ends with a “Hacks and tweaks” section suggesting further customizations, sometimes building off previous chapters’ code. A “What Next?” chapter directs readers toward potential futures as programmers, be it hobbyist or professional.
An absolutely wonderful introduction to programming games. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 7 & up)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4654-3935-2
Page Count: 224
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2015
This genuinely clever math book uses rhyming couplets and riddles, as well as visual cues to help the reader find new ways to group numbers for quick counting. It’s a return to number sets, with none of those boring parentheses and <>signs. Here the rhyme gives a clue to the new ways of grouping numbers. For example: “Mama mia, pizza pie, / How many mushrooms do you spy? / Please don’t count them, it’s too slow, / This hot pie was made to go! / Let me give you some advice, / Just do half and count it twice.” A quick look at the pizza, and the reader can see each slice has the same number of mushrooms. Count by threes for half the pie, and double it. Each rhyme is given a double-page spread. The extra-large, brightly colored images leap off the page but never distract from the author’s intent. Some riddles are very challenging, but the author provides all the solutions in the back. Once the reader has seen the answers, the strategy is obvious and can be applied to other situations. Great fun for math enthusiasts and creative thinkers, this might also teach adults some new tricks. A winning addition. (Nonfiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-439-21033-X
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000
Though usually cast as the trickster, Coyote is more victim than victimizer, making this a nice complement to other Coyote...
Two republished tales by a Greco-Cherokee author feature both folkloric and modern elements as well as new illustrations.
One of the two has never been offered south of the (Canadian) border. In “Coyote Sings to the Moon,” the doo-wop hymn sung nightly by Old Woman and all the animals except tone-deaf Coyote isn’t enough to keep Moon from hiding out at the bottom of the lake—until she is finally driven forth by Coyote’s awful wailing. She has been trying to return to the lake ever since, but that piercing howl keeps her in the sky. In “Coyote’s New Suit” he is schooled in trickery by Raven, who convinces him to steal the pelts of all the other animals while they’re bathing, sends the bare animals to take clothes from the humans’ clothesline, and then sets the stage for a ruckus by suggesting that Coyote could make space in his overcrowded closet by having a yard sale. No violence ensues, but from then to now humans and animals have not spoken to one another. In Eggenschwiler’s monochrome scenes Coyote and the rest stand on hind legs and (when stripped bare) sport human limbs. Old Woman might be Native American; the only other completely human figure is a pale-skinned girl.
Though usually cast as the trickster, Coyote is more victim than victimizer, making this a nice complement to other Coyote tales. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-55498-833-4
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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