Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners

by Warren Sande, Carter Sande

"Computer programming is a powerful tool for children to 'learn learning,' that is, to learn the skills of thinking and problem-solving...Children who engage in programming transfer that kind of learning to other things."--Nicholas Negroponte, the man behind the One Laptop Per Child project that hopes to put a computer in the hands of every child on earth, January 2008 Your computer won't respond when you yell at it. Why not learn to talk to your computer in its own language? Whether you want to write games, start a business, or you're just curious, learning to program is a great place to start. Plus, programming is fun! Hello World! provides a gentle but thorough introduction to the world of computer programming. It's written in language a 12-year-old can follow, but anyone who wants to learn how to program a computer can use it. Even adults. Written by Warren Sande and his son, Carter, and reviewed by professional educators, this book is kid-tested and parent-approved. You don't need to know anything about programming to use the book. But you should know the basics of using a computer--e-mail, surfing the web, listening to music, and so forth. If you can start a program and save a file, you should have no trouble using this book. Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Programming, Reference, Childrens, Computers, Coding, Technology

440 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2008

Reviews

[Aiddy]

Thinking about reading this as a book to recommend for school

Review by Sue Gee / I Programmer here -> http://www.i-programmer.info/bookreviews/14-other-languages/189-hello-world-computer-programming-for-kids-and-other-beginners-.html

[Scott King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently reading as an aid to teaching Python to secondary students. So far so good - some good fun examples.

[Earo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book into the Python world, which I think is the best introduction book to programming. Faced with kids, it forces anyone to use plain language to explain things very well.

[Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very useful guide to Python, and to programming techniques and methods. It also came with an electronic version, which I found very useful to use as it meant I could zoom in on code listings and not worry about keeping a book open to the right page.
It does cover Python 2x versions, but mentions changes to come in Python 3x as well.

[Al Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific teaching tool for beginning programming using Python: free, cross platform. Easy to start, easy to read.

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far I think this is a pretty good book. It teaches basic programming in Python to all kids and any beginners.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

You REALLY have to want to be a programmer to read this, but I'm glad I know it exists.

[Ann Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite relevant to where I am at but would gladly get this out again if I needed help in Python.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents a very simple and understandable introduction to computer programing and learning code theory.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for those beginning to learn python!

[Александр · Rating 4 out of 5]

Очень неплохая книга для совсем начинающих взрослых и детей

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to learn programming, this is the place to start. At least, that’s how I remember it. It teaches you not only language syntax as well as deeper reasoning about why stuff works. It teaches you debugging skills.
Buyer beware, “Python programming for the absolute beginner” is trash compared to this book.

[Elyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello World! is an excellent place to start for complete programming beginners of any age. Many intro books assume a basic level of technical knowledge in the way they present material. This books assumes nothing which makes it a good starting point especially for anyone who has ever been frustrated by other beginner tutorials or books.

Additionally as a more experienced programmer, I still learned a lot about Python, a language I have never worked with before. Since everything is explained so clearly, it was easy to get enough knowledge about Python to feel like I could move on to working on my own Python projects.

Finally, I found that it was very easy to download the required supporting materials and get started. Plus the opportunity to actually write code starts almost immediately and occurs quite often as you work through the book.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I selected this book as the textbook to introduce my daughter to programming in an "Intro To Programming" class I am teaching her for home schooling. It's perfect for teaching the basics and assumes absolutely no previous understanding or knowledge of programming. Getting the tools installed on her Mac was a breeze and she really seems to be absorbing the material. It's still early in the semester, so I will come back to update this review, once we are through the semester. Not sure if we will make it through the entire book, but I've read the entire book and think it would be great for anyone learning the basics of programming.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Worked through it with my son so he'd understand enough Python for his school science project.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember for coding club source