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3D Game Programming for Kids: Create Interactive Worlds with JavaScript

You know what's even better than playing games? Creating your own. Even if you're an absolute beginner, this book will teach you how to make your own online games with interactive examples. You'll learn programming using nothing more than a browser, and see cool, 3D results as you type. You'll learn real-world programming skills in a real programming language: JavaScript, the language of the web. You'll be amazed at what you can do as you build interactive worlds and fun games.

A is for Array

A is for Array is the ABC book for future programmers. Filled with fun illustrations and simple real-world examples, your children will love seeing your world intertwined with theirs. Throughout the book you will find terms from all throughout the world of programming. From data structures, to function definitions, to design patterns and project management strategies, there is a bit of something for everyone. Happy coding!

Best Practices of Spell Design

A tale of programming and software best practices from the Computational Fairy Tales universe. In all his years as a wizard, Marcus has never seen a spell cause this much damage. When Hannaldous's sloppy attempt at a shield spell accidentally curses the castle, the walls start crumbling at an alarming rate. Now Marcus and his apprentice Shelly must figure out how to repair the damage before the castle turns to dust. Along the way they will encounter gossiping worms, perfectionist bakers, opportunistic rabbits, and copious amounts of mold. The Best Practices of Spell Design introduces practical aspects of software development that are often learned through painful experience.

Build Your Own Website

[A] fun, illustrated introduction to the basics of creating a website. Join Kim and her little dog Tofu as she learns HTML, the language of web pages, and CSS, the language used to style web pages, from the Web Guru and Glinda, the Good Witch of CSS.

Codecrafter

Tagg has come to Tilde for one reason: to become a Codecrafter, a sorcerer who can forge her own magic spells. The road isn't an easy one. Tagg must face infinite loops, ornery students, tricky lang-monsters, and the wrath of a powerful queen. Codecrafter is set in a world where spells are software, magic is programmed, and one girl must use all of her skills to outwit an enemy bent on her destruction.

Coderdojo Nano: Make Your Own Game: Create with Code

CoderDojo Nano: Make Your Own Game teaches the fundamentals of the Javascript coding language in a simple, logical way to help kids reach their goal of creating their very own PC game. Children will learn everything from creating a game world, animating characters and determining the physics of movement within the game. Each concept is illustrated with a screenshot to make checking easy, and incredible pixel art from Army of Trolls makes this look like no other coding book. Coder Dojo Nano: Make Your Own Game is the perfect first step that kids can take towards game development.

Coding iPhone Apps for Kids

Apple’s Swift is a powerful, beginner-friendly programming language that anyone can use to make cool apps for the iPhone or iPad. In Coding iPhone Apps for Kids, you’ll learn how to use Swift to write programs, even if you’ve never programmed before. You’ll work in the Xcode playground, an interactive environment where you can play with your code and see the results of your work immediately! You’ll learn the fundamentals of programming too, like how to store data in arrays, use conditional statements to make decisions, and create functions to organize your code—all with the help of clear and patient explanations.

Computational Fairy Tales

Have you ever thought that computer science should include more dragons and wizards? Computational Fairy Tales introduces principles of computational thinking, illustrating high-level computer science concepts, the motivation behind them, and their application in a non-computer—fairy tale—domain. The goal of this book is not to provide comprehensive coverage of each topic, but rather to provide a high level overview of the breadth and excitement of computer science.

Computer Programming for Teens

Ready to learn computer programming but aren't sure where to start? Look no further, Computer Programming for Teens is the book for you. Other books on programming tend to be language specific and often get bogged down in the syntax of the language. That is fine if you already have a strong background in programming, but if you're a novice, the language-specific approach can make things unnecessarily difficult. Computer Programming for Teens stresses concepts over language, but still includes examples in the most popular languages--specifically HTML, C++, and Java (affiliate link).

Designing Digital Games: Create Games with Scratch!

Is your youngster a designer at heart? Read on! Designing Digital Games helps children apply their design skills to video game design using Scratch—and this book! Introducing simple programming concepts over the course of three easy-to-follow projects, it shows your child how to use the free Scratch platform to create a video game from the ground up.

Getting Started with Coding: Get Creative with Code!

When your kid is ready to add coding to their creativity toolbox but you're not ready to ship them off to coding camp, Getting Started with Coding is here to help them get started with the basics of coding. It walks young readers through fun projects that were tested in the classroom. Each project has an end-goal to instill confidence and a sense of achievement in young coders.

Hello World!

Recommended for ages 11 and up, this book subtitled "Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners" has been highly recommend by several people who used it to teach their kids. Note that the above links is an Amazon affiliate link.

Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python

"Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python" teaches you computer programming in the Python programming language. Each chapter gives you the complete source code for a new game and teaches the programming concepts from these examples (affiliate link).

JavaScript Projects for Kids

This book will take your imagination to new heights by teaching you how to work with JavaScript from scratch. It will introduce you to HTML and CSS to enhance the appearance of your applications. You'll then use your skills to build on a cool Battleship game! From there, the book will introduce you to jQuery and show you how you can manipulate the DOM. You'll get to play with some cool stuff using Canvas and will learn how to make use of Canvas to build a game on the lines of Pacman, only a whole lot cooler! Finally, it will show you a few tricks with OOP to make your code clean and will end with a few road maps on areas you can explore further.

JavaScript for Kids

JavaScript for Kids is a lighthearted introduction that teaches programming essentials through patient, step-by-step examples paired with funny illustrations. You'll begin with the basics, like working with strings, arrays, and loops, and then move on to more advanced topics, like building interactivity with jQuery and drawing graphics with Canvas. Along the way, you'll write games such as Find the Buried Treasure, Hangman, and Snake.

Lauren Ipsum

Lauren Ipsum is a children's story about computer science. In 20 chapters she encounters dozens of ideas from timing attacks to algorithm design, the subtle power of names, and how to get a fair flip out of even the most unfair coin. Get one, Give one: For every copy of Lauren Ipsum sold, another copy will be donated to schools, libraries, and educational programs.

Learn to Program with Minecraft Plugins: Create Flying Creepers and Flaming Cows in Java

Programming doesn't have to be boring! Write your own Minecraft plugins and watch your code come to life with flaming cows, flying creepers, teleportation, and interactivity. Follow along with the book and add your own features to the Minecraft game by developing Java code that "plugs in" to the server. You'll manipulate and control elements in the 3D graphical game environment without having to write tons of code or learn huge frameworks. You don't need programming experience to get started---this book will teach you everything you need to know!

Learn to Program with Minecraft: Transform Your World with the Power of Python

You've bested creepers, traveled deep into caves, and maybe even gone to The End and back-but have you ever transformed a sword into a magic wand? Built a palace in the blink of an eye? Designed your own color-changing disco dance floor? In Learn to Program with Minecraft, you'll do all this and more with the power of Python, a free language used by millions of professional and first-time programmers! Begin with some short, simple Python lessons and then use your new skills to modify Minecraft to produce instant and totally awesome results. Learn how to customize Minecraft to make mini-games, duplicate entire buildings, and turn boring blocks into gold.

Learn to Program with Scratch

Scratch is a fun, free, beginner-friendly programming environment where you connect blocks of code to build programs. While most famously used to introduce kids to programming, Scratch can make computer science approachable for people of any age. Rather than type countless lines of code in a cryptic programming language, why not use colorful command blocks and cartoon sprites to create powerful scripts? In Learn to Program with Scratch, author Majed Marji uses Scratch to explain the concepts essential to solving real-world programming problems. The labeled, color-coded blocks plainly show each logical step in a given script, and with a single click, you can even test any part of your script to check your logic.

Making Games with Python & Pygame

Making Games with Python & Pygame is a programming book that covers the Pygame game library for the Python programming language. Each chapter gives you the complete source code for a new game and teaches the programming concepts from these examples. The book is available under a Creative Commons license and can be downloaded in full for free from http://inventwithpython.com/pygame. This book was written to be understandable by kids as young as 10 to 12 years old, although it is great for anyone of any age who has some familiarity with Python.

Minecraft Modding with Forge

Playing Minecraft is a lot of fun, but the game is more engaging, entertaining, and educational when kids learn how to build mods—small programs that let them modify game elements and add content. This family-friendly guide teaches kids and parents how to create mods of different types, using the Minecraft Forge modding tool. No programming experience is needed.

Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming

Python is a powerful, expressive programming language that's easy to learn and fun to use! But books about learning to program in Python can be kind of dull, gray, and boring, and that's no fun for anyone. Python for Kids brings Python to life and brings you (and your parents) into the world of programming. The ever-patient Jason R. Briggs will guide you through the basics as you experiment with unique (and often hilarious) example programs that feature ravenous monsters, secret agents, thieving ravens, and more. New terms are defined; code is colored, dissected, and explained; and quirky, full-color illustrations keep things on the lighter side.

Raspberry Pi Projects for Kids, 2nd Edition

The Raspberry Pi is a single-board mini computer designed to get more people (particularly children) interested in computer programming. It aims to make programming tools and educational programs as accessible as possible, making it very easy to get started with. This book will guide you through six fun projects that show how programming can be used to be creative. Each project has clear step-by-step instructions and explanations helping children grasp the concepts easily.

Ruby Wizardry

The Ruby programming language is perfect for beginners: easy to learn, powerful, and fun to use! But wouldn't it be more fun if you were learning with the help of some wizards and dragons? Ruby Wizardry is a playful, illustrated tale that will teach you how to program in Ruby by taking you on a fantastical journey.

Scratch Coding Cards: Creative Coding Activities for Kids

With the Scratch Coding Cards, kids learn to code as they create interactive games, stories, music, and animations. The short-and-simple activities provide an inviting entry point into Scratch, the graphical programming language used by millions of kids around the world. Kids can use this colorful 75-card deck to create a variety of interactive programming projects. They'll create their own version of Pong, Write an Interactive Story, Create a Virtual Pet, Play Hide and Seek, and more!

Scratch Programming Playground: Learn to Program by Making Cool Games

Scratch, the colorful drag-and-drop programming language, is used by millions of first-time learners, and in Scratch Programming Playground, you'll learn to program by making cool games. Get ready to destroy asteroids, shoot hoops, and slice and dice fruit! Each game includes easy-to-follow instructions, review questions, and creative coding challenges to make the game your own. Want to add more levels or a cheat code? No problem, just write some code.

Scratch Programming for Teens

Welcome to Scratch Programming for Teens! Scratch is a programming language intended to make programming easier to learn for novice programmers. It can be used to create computer games, interactive stories, graphic artwork and computer animation, and all sorts of other multimedia projects. Scratch can also be used to play digital music and sound effects (affiliate link).

Super Scratch Programming Adventure

Scratch is the wildly popular educational programming language used by millions of first-time learners in classrooms, libraries, and homes worldwide. By dragging together colorful blocks of code, kids quickly learn computer programming concepts and make cool games and animations. In Super Scratch Programming Adventure!, kids learn programming fundamentals as they make their very own playable video games.

Super Scratch Programming Adventure! (Covers Version 2)

Scratch is the wildly popular educational programming language used by millions of first-time learners in classrooms and homes worldwide. By dragging together colorful blocks of code, kids can learn computer programming concepts and make cool games and animations. The latest version, Scratch 2, brings the language right into your web browser, with no need to download software.

Teach Your Kids to Code

Teach Your Kids to Code is a parent and teacher's guide to teaching basic programming and problem-solving skills. Together with your kids, you'll learn how to program in Python, the popular and powerful language that's used in college computer science courses and tech companies worldwide, like Google and IBM. But because it's easy to learn, Python makes a great first programming language for kids, too.

The Official ScratchJr Book

ScratchJr is a free, introductory computer programming language that runs on iPads and Android tablets. Inspired by Scratch, the wildly popular programming language used by millions of children worldwide, ScratchJr helps even younger kids create their own playful animations, interactive stories, and dynamic games. The Official ScratchJr Book is the perfect companion to this free app and makes coding easy and fun for all. Kids learn to program by connecting blocks of code to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing.

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