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JavaScript for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming
JavaScript for Kids is a lighthearted introduction to the JavaScript language and programming in general. With the help of kid-friendly examples, author Nick Morgan teaches the essentials of JavaScript. Morgan starts with the basics of strings, arrays, and loops, then moves on to show readers how to modify elements with jQuery and draw graphics with canvas. By the end of the book, you'll be ready to create your own fun animations and games and you'll have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of JavaScript.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 22, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
September 24, 2015
Review on my blog The Fictional Reader
First of all, I have to say that I learned a lot while reading this. I had almost no knowledge of JavaScript before, and this is a very thorough guide. It really covers a lot! So if you’re looking for a beginner’s guide to JavaScript I would definitely recommend this. Even if you’re not a kid.
For me, the instructions were clear and easy to follow. Everything was explained thoroughly and the author used easy to understand language. But I have to admit that I don’t really think this is for kids. Which is the target audience here. Yes, they used a few examples kids can understand but I feel like overall, a kid wouldn’t really grasp this easily. It’s a whole lot of theory with a few kid-friendly examples. I feel like young adults would be a better target audience. But like I said, for me this was easy to follow. Then again, I’m not a kid.
Overall, I have to say that I liked it. It’s a really good guide to JavaScript and I do think it’s very suitable for beginners, like me. So if you want to learn about JavaScript, but you find other guides to difficult to follow or overwhelming, I would highly recommend this!
★★★
First of all, I have to say that I learned a lot while reading this. I had almost no knowledge of JavaScript before, and this is a very thorough guide. It really covers a lot! So if you’re looking for a beginner’s guide to JavaScript I would definitely recommend this. Even if you’re not a kid.
For me, the instructions were clear and easy to follow. Everything was explained thoroughly and the author used easy to understand language. But I have to admit that I don’t really think this is for kids. Which is the target audience here. Yes, they used a few examples kids can understand but I feel like overall, a kid wouldn’t really grasp this easily. It’s a whole lot of theory with a few kid-friendly examples. I feel like young adults would be a better target audience. But like I said, for me this was easy to follow. Then again, I’m not a kid.
Overall, I have to say that I liked it. It’s a really good guide to JavaScript and I do think it’s very suitable for beginners, like me. So if you want to learn about JavaScript, but you find other guides to difficult to follow or overwhelming, I would highly recommend this!
★★★
April 16, 2020
Great book! I am giving it 5 stars, cause it really worth it.
I cant tell you for what kind of children this book is meant to. For really smart ones I presume. But despite of that presentation of the material is an incredible!!
Of course you can`t (or maybe you can) give this book for 5-year-old child and hope that will be enough. But if child is interested in this sphere book can become in a great entry point where you should start.
The next thing i wanna say is about the material. Unfortunately a few chapters are no longer relevant. It was really strange to see blocks of code that`s been written with help of JQuery. Of course a few years ago it was highly popular, but now it`s hard to find a project where you need to use it. But it`s good to get to know it for general understanding.
And the next thing is about OOP. Nick Morgan describes the old ways in Object-oriented programming. But after ES6 has become a standard in JavaScript we don`t use the old-school methods, everyone is using `classes`. But for us it`s a great opportunity to get know how it was before and understand how it works inside without all modern tools we have now!
But nevertheless the book is definitely worth reading!
I cant tell you for what kind of children this book is meant to. For really smart ones I presume. But despite of that presentation of the material is an incredible!!
Of course you can`t (or maybe you can) give this book for 5-year-old child and hope that will be enough. But if child is interested in this sphere book can become in a great entry point where you should start.
The next thing i wanna say is about the material. Unfortunately a few chapters are no longer relevant. It was really strange to see blocks of code that`s been written with help of JQuery. Of course a few years ago it was highly popular, but now it`s hard to find a project where you need to use it. But it`s good to get to know it for general understanding.
And the next thing is about OOP. Nick Morgan describes the old ways in Object-oriented programming. But after ES6 has become a standard in JavaScript we don`t use the old-school methods, everyone is using `classes`. But for us it`s a great opportunity to get know how it was before and understand how it works inside without all modern tools we have now!
But nevertheless the book is definitely worth reading!
April 13, 2022
If I got this book in my childhood, it could have been changed my life 📖.
September 17, 2021
My boot camp recommended this book as a supplemental resource. It’s wonderful! Clear teaching, fun examples and doable challenges at the end of each chapter. You build several rudimentary games as you code along. Highly recommended for ages 12+.
February 8, 2015
When I read a technical book I try and put myself in the mindset of someone who has never experienced anything covered in the book before. I was at that stage of no-knowledge when it comes to JavaScript not so long ago myself and it's important to me that "how-to's" will actually take someone from the ground up and not assume any knowledge of the reader.
JavaScript for kids correctly assumes that the "kid" has no prior knowledge of JavaScript and walks them through step by step through the basics right up to making their own games with the language. It felt a little too easy in the beginning but quickly got more complex as it went along, which was fun.
The only negative about this book for me was the "random insult generator" as it reinforces something that I personally wouldn't, that of insulting others, but do appreciate that this would be funny for "kids". The book is full of tonnes of really great ideas so it's sad that this one was included.
JavaScript for kids is obviously marketed at children, but I think it's accessible for humans of all ages. The illustrations, fun projects and frivolous use of exclamation marks really kept things exciting and interesting for me and I think more books should be written like this. I've read a handful of technical books now and if they all had the playfulness of the No Starch books they'd be far more interesting. I'm looking forward to reading "Ruby Wizardry" and "Python for Kids" next!
I also want to make a special note that there was not a single error in the code in this book that I spotted; it's clear that both the author and any reviewers involved in the progress put a lot of effort into this.
Definitely worth a read if you're interested in either learning JavaScript, or teaching JavaScript to others.
JavaScript for kids correctly assumes that the "kid" has no prior knowledge of JavaScript and walks them through step by step through the basics right up to making their own games with the language. It felt a little too easy in the beginning but quickly got more complex as it went along, which was fun.
The only negative about this book for me was the "random insult generator" as it reinforces something that I personally wouldn't, that of insulting others, but do appreciate that this would be funny for "kids". The book is full of tonnes of really great ideas so it's sad that this one was included.
JavaScript for kids is obviously marketed at children, but I think it's accessible for humans of all ages. The illustrations, fun projects and frivolous use of exclamation marks really kept things exciting and interesting for me and I think more books should be written like this. I've read a handful of technical books now and if they all had the playfulness of the No Starch books they'd be far more interesting. I'm looking forward to reading "Ruby Wizardry" and "Python for Kids" next!
I also want to make a special note that there was not a single error in the code in this book that I spotted; it's clear that both the author and any reviewers involved in the progress put a lot of effort into this.
Definitely worth a read if you're interested in either learning JavaScript, or teaching JavaScript to others.
February 9, 2018
While I am an adult (not a kid), I am a beginner to JavaScript, so I thought this book would be worth checking out— if it's easy for a child to understand, then it must be a good introductory to this coding language, and if I can't understand it, then either it's still too advance for sixth graders, OR I'm just not as smart as a sixth grader.
The projects are, well... juvenile, but that goes with saying. It's cute, and I bet it's fun for those hitting the demographic. That said, I can't imagine how anyone around the age of 12 (book recommendation says 10+) would react to this text. Would they be engaged enough to read and practice these projects independently, or even with a parent figure? I can't speak about this book from their perspective, but only from the perspective of an adult individual learning to code.
As mentioned, the projects were easy and fun introduction to using concepts in JavaScript. Although most of my projects kept coming up blank or running differently than it should have, so either the html reader I was using wasn't a proper editor, or I needed to edit the code for it to work properly, OR I'm just not as smart as a sixth grader!
Still, I was introduced to and learned new concepts of JavaScript and it gave me better practice flow to writing html script. I'll be able to take away projects from this book to practice and perfect so that I can create functional games. It might be worth taking a look at if you're interested in learning JavaScript for the first time.
The projects are, well... juvenile, but that goes with saying. It's cute, and I bet it's fun for those hitting the demographic. That said, I can't imagine how anyone around the age of 12 (book recommendation says 10+) would react to this text. Would they be engaged enough to read and practice these projects independently, or even with a parent figure? I can't speak about this book from their perspective, but only from the perspective of an adult individual learning to code.
As mentioned, the projects were easy and fun introduction to using concepts in JavaScript. Although most of my projects kept coming up blank or running differently than it should have, so either the html reader I was using wasn't a proper editor, or I needed to edit the code for it to work properly, OR I'm just not as smart as a sixth grader!
Still, I was introduced to and learned new concepts of JavaScript and it gave me better practice flow to writing html script. I'll be able to take away projects from this book to practice and perfect so that I can create functional games. It might be worth taking a look at if you're interested in learning JavaScript for the first time.
March 23, 2016
This books is not only for kids! But because everything is explained so thoroughly, any age newbie could learn the fundamentals of JavaScript language and coding.
June 26, 2025
I was recommended this book as the best entry point into JavaScript. Granted, I was warned about some outdated practices and libraries in the later chapters (like jQuery, for example), but the usage of archaic methodologies goes well beyond those chapters, the most prominent one being the usage of "var" instead of "const" or "let" - something no one bothered to warn me about beforehand, so I had to relearn the right way of declaring variables along the way. Of course, it's not the author's fault. The first edition was published in 2014 and a major "paradigm shift" happened two years later with the introduction of ES6 that changed the language significantly. Why there haven't been any new editions since then is another question.
Sure, if you are literally a "kid" in the world of programming and JS is your first language, this book - especially the first half of it - is a great way to begin your journey; just be aware of all the hidden-in-the-plain-view pitfalls so conviently laid out for you by using obsolete syntax. I had to resort to translating the second half of the book into the "modern" JavaScript, stopping to pay attention to the code snippets completely at some point, and just writing the code myself from the ground up and using the book more like a guide and a project manager than anything else. That being said, I must agree with the opening sentence of this review - it is indeed the best entry book on JavaScript... unfortunately. In this case, the best doesn't mean "good" - it means lack of competition due to the dynamic nature of the language itself. Sure, it definitely was a "good" book 10 years ago, but it's not 2015 anymore.
Sure, if you are literally a "kid" in the world of programming and JS is your first language, this book - especially the first half of it - is a great way to begin your journey; just be aware of all the hidden-in-the-plain-view pitfalls so conviently laid out for you by using obsolete syntax. I had to resort to translating the second half of the book into the "modern" JavaScript, stopping to pay attention to the code snippets completely at some point, and just writing the code myself from the ground up and using the book more like a guide and a project manager than anything else. That being said, I must agree with the opening sentence of this review - it is indeed the best entry book on JavaScript... unfortunately. In this case, the best doesn't mean "good" - it means lack of competition due to the dynamic nature of the language itself. Sure, it definitely was a "good" book 10 years ago, but it's not 2015 anymore.
December 9, 2020
After learning the basics of HTML and CSS, I thought it was time to learn some basic Javascript. Given the infinite possibilities on the internet, I chose the book-based learning and bought "javascript for kids".
Due to the constant updating features of this programming language, some of the practices shared throughout the book may be kind of obsolete. Nonetheless, each of the exercises on the book can be followed without any bugs.
Even though I was hoping for an official online repository with all the solutions to the coding challenges, I pretty much enjoyed and understood every single line of code.
I guess what I liked the most was the simplicity of the explanations.
I highly recommend this book as an Introductory glimpse for Javascript Programming.
Due to the constant updating features of this programming language, some of the practices shared throughout the book may be kind of obsolete. Nonetheless, each of the exercises on the book can be followed without any bugs.
Even though I was hoping for an official online repository with all the solutions to the coding challenges, I pretty much enjoyed and understood every single line of code.
I guess what I liked the most was the simplicity of the explanations.
I highly recommend this book as an Introductory glimpse for Javascript Programming.
July 29, 2020
It's my first book on programming. The first few chapters are very good beginner guide, after we get to the chapters in advanced JavaScript it suddenly becomes quite tough to follow. The transition into jQuery is not so smooth and it skipped a lot of explanation on some of the helpful concepts ( i.e. nesting, hoisting, scope etc ) for more advanced coding exercises. It requires you to keep digging. However you learn better this way. I manage to follow and code all the games but it took me a day to figure out what I did wrong in the snake game at the end ( left , left ). Part of the fun of self learning everything is the trial and error process. Reminded me of my time self learning French.
April 15, 2018
This book helps to wrap my head around some fundamental concepts like string, array, etc. I think part 1 is particularly good for newbies. Part 2 is not so easy to read (since it is Advanced JavaScript, it should be expected) and I figured out that if I had understood prototype it might have been better. Part 3 is about canvas which I dropped because I don't really think visualization is my thing yet. Anyway it's a good book for beginner.
February 22, 2018
Просмотрел книгу, и так и не понял для кого она. Если для новичков, то я не завидую им, т.к. мне показалось знание канваса и прототипов с конструкторами это не для тех, кому нужно писать «нажмите мышью в левом верхнем углу». А такие фразочки в книге как раз проскакивают. В общем, никому не рекомендую эту книгу.
August 19, 2019
An excellent introduction to how JS interacts with the browser and user with tangible, simple examples. Most of the concepts are introduced at a basic level, so someone can gain a high-level understanding of JS. For kids who like to see success and a finished product, expectations need to be managed. I see it more as a reference book rather than a tutorial or course.
November 4, 2020
Great beginner-friendly book, I enjoyed reading it with my sister. Interesting projects (e.g. snake and hangman games), clear and detailed explanations. A bit outdated but not too much, you can still follow along and update your code to ES6 as an extra exercise. Good resource to complement Freecodecamp curriculum.
April 13, 2019
Easy to read for an adult with programming, we'll see for a kid. It focus on creating a game, which I guess it comes from the target audience and the title. Still, it shows some good programming habits (dealing with arrays and functions).
January 7, 2020
Next step to learn kids to program. After book about Scratch. Learn kids to program with JavaScript. Fun illustrations from author of popular book about Haskell programming language. In the end of book make your own complete game in web browser.
December 20, 2022
Debo admitir que si fue muy introductorio para mi. Aunque eso es bueno para la mayoria leyendolo.
Me iluminó en un par de conceptos que francamente traia perdidos, pero explicados excelentememente!
Me iluminó en un par de conceptos que francamente traia perdidos, pero explicados excelentememente!
December 23, 2017
I plan teaching my niece fundamentals of programming, and I've decided to use this book. Read it, liked the approach, so we're starting this winter break. Gonna write a follow up.
February 16, 2018
This book helped me a lot to learn JavaScript as a code newbie.
April 22, 2018
A nice book to start learning JavaScript because it's very simple and explained very good, you can understand the code even if you do not knew nothing
December 22, 2018
Добре написано, переклад хороший, якісний папір -- сподобалося, чудове видання.
September 25, 2019
Хоть я не ребенок, но мне понравилась конструкция книги... норм объяснения по базису + реальные примеры реализации кода
еще перечитаю некоторые места
еще перечитаю некоторые места
November 5, 2020
Ну в целом практически бестолковая книжка, баловство
March 21, 2023
Great for beginners!
August 15, 2023
For kids? Are you kidding me?
No....
Seriously...
2/3 of this book is interesting, the last section can be ignored...
For kids?
No....
Seriously...
2/3 of this book is interesting, the last section can be ignored...
For kids?
October 28, 2015
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5
For kids? This book is great for ANYone looking to learn what Javascript is, and how to write it.
In the vein of the "Dummies" books and "Idiot's Guide" books come the "for Kids" books, which approach a topic, in this case writing Javascript, as if the reader has no background in it. And in the case of many programming languages, that probably is true for most of us.
Author Nick Morgan clearly understands the subject, but best of all, he understands how to teach it! This is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide that not only explains what certain code will do and why it's important, but walks the reader through the process of going on-line and in-putting code and the best part is that the results can be seen immediately!
The tasks start small and simple and get more and more complex as we get further in to the book, but at all stages we can see the results immediately and the results get more fun as we go, until we are playing our own snakes game at the end.
When HTML was the language that web programmers had to know, I was fairly accomplished, and then I learned PHP, but as web languages got more complex and at the same it became easier for people to create web pages, I stopped learning the various languages. But if there's one language that would be good to know, for anyone interested in creating interactive programming, it would be JavaScript, and thanks to Nick Morgan, it actually feels like this is accessible!
When I see a book like this, with the cover designed as it is, and with the title "...for Kids" I tend to think of elementary school children. Given that, I'm not entirely sure that this (or any programming language, for that matter) is something kids will do. But I'll admit that I'm not up on what elementary school children are learning these days. This feels like middle school or junior high level material - still 'kids' to most of us, but very different learning levels.
Still...I'm not convinced this really is for kids. I think it's for adults like me who feel they might grasp something that's written toward school-aged kids. In either case...this is a very valuable resource, and fun, to boot!
Looking for a good book? Javascript for Kids, by Nick Morgan, is a great programming guide for the beginner, with quick, obvious results.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
For kids? This book is great for ANYone looking to learn what Javascript is, and how to write it.
In the vein of the "Dummies" books and "Idiot's Guide" books come the "for Kids" books, which approach a topic, in this case writing Javascript, as if the reader has no background in it. And in the case of many programming languages, that probably is true for most of us.
Author Nick Morgan clearly understands the subject, but best of all, he understands how to teach it! This is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide that not only explains what certain code will do and why it's important, but walks the reader through the process of going on-line and in-putting code and the best part is that the results can be seen immediately!
The tasks start small and simple and get more and more complex as we get further in to the book, but at all stages we can see the results immediately and the results get more fun as we go, until we are playing our own snakes game at the end.
When HTML was the language that web programmers had to know, I was fairly accomplished, and then I learned PHP, but as web languages got more complex and at the same it became easier for people to create web pages, I stopped learning the various languages. But if there's one language that would be good to know, for anyone interested in creating interactive programming, it would be JavaScript, and thanks to Nick Morgan, it actually feels like this is accessible!
When I see a book like this, with the cover designed as it is, and with the title "...for Kids" I tend to think of elementary school children. Given that, I'm not entirely sure that this (or any programming language, for that matter) is something kids will do. But I'll admit that I'm not up on what elementary school children are learning these days. This feels like middle school or junior high level material - still 'kids' to most of us, but very different learning levels.
Still...I'm not convinced this really is for kids. I think it's for adults like me who feel they might grasp something that's written toward school-aged kids. In either case...this is a very valuable resource, and fun, to boot!
Looking for a good book? Javascript for Kids, by Nick Morgan, is a great programming guide for the beginner, with quick, obvious results.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
March 24, 2015
JavaScript is the programming language of the internet. This fantastic book presents a lighthearted approach to the subject (which many people, including me, know very little about) and teaches programming basics through patient, step-by-step examples highlighted by fun illustrations. It starts with the basics, like working strings and loops and works its way to more complex topics like building interactivity with jQuery (which I had never even heard of before, but do now) and drawing graphics with Canvas.
You will discover how to write games like "Find Buried Treasure", "Hangman", and "Snake." Can you imagine writing your own game? How fun would that be?
You will learn how to:
* Create functions to organize and reuse your code
*Write and modify HTML to create dynamic web pages
*Use the DOM and jQuery to make web pages react to user input (because the computer does not have a brain of its own and can only respond to a human's instructions)
*Use the Canvas element to draw and animate graphics (which is perfect for me because I always wanted to be Walt Disney's daughter but now can be Walt Disney himself)
*Programme real user-controlled games with collision detection and score keeping
Fun visual examples like bouncing balls, buzzing bees, and racing cars allow you to see what you are programming. Each chapter is cumulative and builds on the next. There is plenty in this exciting book to learn and experiment with. JavaScript for Kids is both educational and awe-inspiring. Go ahead. Play with the JavaScript, spirit of the Internet, ... Creativity and fun is calling you!
You will discover how to write games like "Find Buried Treasure", "Hangman", and "Snake." Can you imagine writing your own game? How fun would that be?
You will learn how to:
* Create functions to organize and reuse your code
*Write and modify HTML to create dynamic web pages
*Use the DOM and jQuery to make web pages react to user input (because the computer does not have a brain of its own and can only respond to a human's instructions)
*Use the Canvas element to draw and animate graphics (which is perfect for me because I always wanted to be Walt Disney's daughter but now can be Walt Disney himself)
*Programme real user-controlled games with collision detection and score keeping
Fun visual examples like bouncing balls, buzzing bees, and racing cars allow you to see what you are programming. Each chapter is cumulative and builds on the next. There is plenty in this exciting book to learn and experiment with. JavaScript for Kids is both educational and awe-inspiring. Go ahead. Play with the JavaScript, spirit of the Internet, ... Creativity and fun is calling you!
July 22, 2015
A nice introduction to programming and Javascript in particular.
It starts with showing how to access the Javascript console in Chrome (easily accessible also in Firefox) and using it to experiment with simple Javascript code.
From there, some aspects of programming in Javascript is then introduced, followed by using standard libraries, putting up a web page with Javascript and then writing a Javascript program that can interact with the user via the web page. It then ends with a good project, the classic snake game implemented in Javascript.
The concepts and progression is quite clear, with hints and alerts pointed out along with tips for people to experiment with to extend and modify the programs.
All in all, an enjoyable way to learn how to program in general and working in Javascript in particular. The book ends with resources that can be used to learn more about Javascript and to extend it with on-line libraries.
It starts with showing how to access the Javascript console in Chrome (easily accessible also in Firefox) and using it to experiment with simple Javascript code.
From there, some aspects of programming in Javascript is then introduced, followed by using standard libraries, putting up a web page with Javascript and then writing a Javascript program that can interact with the user via the web page. It then ends with a good project, the classic snake game implemented in Javascript.
The concepts and progression is quite clear, with hints and alerts pointed out along with tips for people to experiment with to extend and modify the programs.
All in all, an enjoyable way to learn how to program in general and working in Javascript in particular. The book ends with resources that can be used to learn more about Javascript and to extend it with on-line libraries.
May 28, 2023
Halfway through the book and I am loving it. Nick does break down the topics into understandable concepts. If you are new to javascript or struggling with JS fundamentals, this is the book to check out.
June 9, 2015
A great book for anyone just starting out to learn JavaScript, whether you're a kid or adult. Especially useful for understanding key concepts.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews