How to Code a Sandcastle (a Girls Who Code book), by Josh Funk; illustrated by Sara Palacios.
44 pages; ages 4-8. Viking, 2018
It is the last day of summer vacation. Which means today is my very last chance to build a sandcastle!
Pearl has been trying to build a sandcastle all summer long, but things keep happening to them. Today, though, she’s got the perfect plan and the perfect building partner – her trusty, rust-proof robot buddy, Pascal. All she has to do is tell Pascal what to do, and how to do it.
What I like about this book: I like the fun way Josh Funk introduces coding. When Pearl tells Pascal to build a sandcastle, he doesn’t know what to do. Pearl realizes she needs to give her robot more specific instructions, so she figures out the steps needed for castle construction and, through trial and error, creates the code that tells Pascal what to do. Then, because she is tired of repeating the same instructions, she figures out how to create a loop of code so Pascal will continue doing the same thing over and over and over again.
I like the personality illustrator Sara Palacios imbues in Pascal. He is delightful! And I love the clever way Josh codes “the end” and his dedication. This book will make you want to get a bucket and plastic scoop and head to the beach to code your very own sandcastle.
Check out my interview with Josh Funk on the GROG Blog. And head over to Archimedes Notebook for some more beach reading and hands-on activities.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2018 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.
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