Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding, Nov/2015

What is this book all about?

An Introduction for Parents

The idea for Hello Ruby was born in 2009, when I myself was learning to program. Whenever I ran into a problem, I would ask myself how a small, fierce girl would tackle it. But it took until the fall of 2013 for me to decide to be a children’s book author. Since then, understanding technology through play and imagination and creation has become my passion.

We all have stories that shape the way we see the world as adults. Like invisible friends, our childhood stories stay with us and influence our tastes for years to come. I think we need more of these voices and stories that are able to reveal the playful side of code.

Play is at the core of learning. Coding is like crayons or LEGO blocks—a way to express yourself. This book is not about 'learning to code'. It doesn’t teach any specific programming languages, but introduces the fundamentals of computational thinking that every future kid coder will need.

Kids will learn how to break big problems into small problems, look for patterns, create step-by-step plans, and think outside the box. With activities included for every chapter, future kid coders will be thrilled to put their own imaginations to work.

Each chapter is a small story in Ruby’s world, nine small lessons in computational thinking.

This book is designed to be worked on together with a parent. You can start by reading the entire story, or focus on one chapter at a time. Each chapter has a set of exercises that build on the concepts of play and creativity. Spend time playing and replaying the exercises. It’s normal and okay to make mistakes and to look at the same problem in different ways. That’s all part of computational thinking.

Toolboxes give additional information for parents and list concepts that are linked to the topic discussed. All concepts can be found in the glossary. You can also find suggested answers in the answer key at helloruby.com. There, you’ll also find more play activities and fun things to do, and you can see what other kids have created all around the world!

About the Author:

Linda Liukas is a programmer, storyteller, and illustrator from Helsinki, Finland. She is a central figure in the world of programming and worked on edutech before it was even called that. Linda is the founder of Rails Girls, a global phenomenon teaching the basics of programming to young women all over the world. She was selected as the 2013 Ruby Hero (the most notable prize within the Ruby programming community) and she is the Digital Champion of Finland, appointed by EU commissioner Neelie Kroes.