How to Explain Coding to a Grown-Up

September 15, 2023
Grown-ups may not be the only audience for this simple explanation of how algorithms work. Taking a confused-looking hipster parent firmly in hand, a child first points to all the computers around the house ("Pro Tip: When dealing with grown-ups, don't jump into the complicated stuff too fast. Start with something they already know"). Next, the child leads the adult outside to make and follow step-by-step directions for getting to the park, deciding which playground equipment to use, and finally walking home. Along the way, concepts like conditionals and variables come into play in street maps and diagrams, and a literal bug stands in for the sort that programmers will inevitably need to find and solve. The lesson culminates in an actual sample of very simple code with labels that unpack each instruction...plus a pop quiz to lay out a decision tree for crossing the street, because if "your grown-up can explain it, that shows they understand it!" That goes for kids, too--and though Spiro doesn't take the logical next step and furnish leads to actual manuals, young (and not so young) fledgling coders will find plenty of good ones around, such as Get Coding! (2017), published by Candlewick, or Rachel Ziter's Coding From Scratch (2018). A lighthearted first look at an increasingly useful skill. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)

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September 15, 2023
Grades K-3 Because grown-ups don't know all the answers, this book lets children become the authority, in this case, on computer coding. The omniscient narrator speaks directly to "YOU," the reader, in a friendly tone, providing tips on how to explain the topic to adults. A girl and her dad, who resemble animated characters, fill in for the reader and grown-up. First, the narrator describes the function of computers, utilizing a two-page illustration of a laptop's insides that points out key hardware components. But it's code written in a software program, the narrator clarifies, that tells the computer what to do. Along with speech-bubble questions and answers from the girl and dad, the book continues to describe the role of programmers and how they write computer algorithms. A few illustrated examples--such as using conditional (if/then) decision-making to cross the street--help to demonstrate specific points. The lesson culminates in a large written piece of code that recaps key coding steps and demonstrates programming in action. This book offers an engaging way to introduce this STEM subject.

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