I absolutely loved the book! It's such a fantastic way to introduce both kids and adults to the exciting world of coding and how it all works. The character as the "teacher" was just adorable, making the concepts so relatable and fun!

A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to review it!

I loved this title so much that I included it in my booktalks for third grade this year. The irreverent, breezy style and appealing illustrations were a winning combination! Five Stars!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

In the delightful picture book "How to Explain Coding to a Grown-Up", author Ruth Spiro takes young readers (and their grown-ups) on an engaging journey through the world of coding. With clever insights, playful illustrations, and a dash of humor, Spiro demystifies coding concepts, making them accessible even to those who might feel a bit bewildered by technology.

Summary:
The story begins with a child narrator addressing the reader directly. The child acknowledges that grown-ups don't always have all the answers, especially when it comes to coding. But fear not! The young expert is here to guide both kids and their adults through the basics of coding. From hardware to software, algorithms to debugging, Spiro breaks it down in a way that's both informative and entertaining.

What I Loved:

- Kid-Centric Approach:** Spiro's choice to have a child narrator is brilliant. It instantly connects with young readers and empowers them to share their knowledge.

- Pro Tips: Throughout the book, "pro tips" provide practical advice for explaining complex topics to grown-ups. These tips are not only helpful but also add a playful touch.

- Real-Life Analogies: Spiro uses relatable scenarios like navigating to the park or choosing playground equipment to explain coding concepts. It's like a secret code for everyday life!

- Illustrations: Teresa Martinez's illustrations are whimsical and inviting. They enhance the learning experience and keep readers engaged.

How to Explain Coding to a Grown-Up is a bridge between generations. Whether you're a curious kid or a grown-up eager to learn, this delightful picture book will demystify coding and leave you feeling empowered. So grab your favorite grown-up, flip through the pages, and embark on a coding adventure together!

Highly recommended for ages 4 to 8 (and anyone who wants to crack the code!). 🚀📚

Silly book on a cool topic. This book explains coding while making the kids feel big. The illustrations are super cute.

I was impressed with this book, at least what little of it I got. It was awfully short, and I don't think the galley was complete

Ruth Spiro's How to Explain Coding to a Grown-Up is a fun, tongue-in-cheek book that encourages children to help the adults in their lives understand the world of coding.

One of the best ways for children to demonstrate their knowledge on a subject is by sharing their expertise about the topic with someone else. This book does an absolutely fantastic job of encouraging children to do just that and it also includes "Pro Tips" to guide children as they teach their adults about coding.

How to Explain Coding is an engaging book for children ages 4-8 that will create, expand, and further a child's interest in coding and STEM.

Kind thanks to Charlesbridge and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this wonderful book.

Thank you to the author, Charlesbridge Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great children's book that explains what coding is in a way that this absolutely non-digital native (but who cannot conceive of life with the internet) can understand. It's short, and does not explain "how to" code, but it does an excellent job of opening the door for younger children to think about the digital world that they are growing up in, and what its application is in everyday life.

I will absolutely be purchasing this book for all of my libraries! This explains coding in a way that makes sense to early childhood and up. Coding always sounds like something so complex, like you need to be very tech oriented to understand it, but this book explains that it is not so intimidating. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Very informative book, and as someone who had no idea what coding was it was a great book to read to help explain.

Thanks for an early copy

This one was a nice introduction to coding but with a fun twist to the explanations. The message of kids being able to learn and teach others was great. However, while I enjoyed the odditity of the set up, it did come accross a bit condescending towards adults.

The way I see this book it is a good excuse for a parent who is somewhat vague on the meaning of various terms and uses of computers to *upgrade* their understanding alongside of their child. Simple and easy to understand the application of this knowledge in daily life.
The illustrations by Teresa Martinez are to delightful, imaginative, and vividly colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Charlesbridge via NetGalley. Thank you!

Jump up and down and celebrate, people! If you've EVER tried to explain coding to people who struggle with the concept (no matter what age they are), this beautiful, charming, funny, smart, perfect book is for you! Huge kudos to author Ruth Spiro, and illustrator Teresa Martinez, for creating something I wouldn't have thought possible - an engaging, accessible look at coding, why it matters, and how to do it. The book assumes that young readers (the character in the book looks 8-10 years old) have figured out that grownups do not know everything, and that they might need a little help with understanding this whole coding thing. So - a visit to the park, and deciding whether or not to go on a swing, is explained in coding terms. Terms like variable and conditional are included right along the way. There is a terrific two page spread that lays out the swing adventure in text code form, with an if...else element. This is a beautiful way to demystify code for both kids and adults. The "Pro Tips", such as "If your grown up can explain it, that shows they understand it", will be hugely appreciated by young readers. The language of "grown-up" rather than designating a specific (often gendered) grown-up role is something I use myself with my students, and it is wonderful to see it here. As someone who will be teaching pre-service teachers about coding at a School of Education this fall, I am delighted with this, and can't wait to get my hands on a print copy to share with my students. Ontario teacher and T-L's, get on this one. It comes out in October! This could work for K-8 classes, and would be a terrific text to work through with reading/coding buddy groups. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thanks to Net Galley and Charlesbridge for this remarkable book, which should find its way into a lot of Makerspace and Learning Commons collections!

This is an original book from the point of view of a child explaining the step by step process of coding to an adult. It makes the concept of coding relatable and easy to understand. It even gets into debugging/hardware/conditional. I enjoyed this book!

How to Explain Coding to a Grown-Up infers that adults are stupid and kids know more than them. I didn’t appreciate the tone of the book.

Coding for Adults taught by your child—Genius. This book is even a great resource if you are wanting to have an early introduction into coding.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this title. I help teach coding to kids and I think this is a pretty good basic understanding of how coding works. This could be a good start for a lesson on coding.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

This was a very cute book about coding. I really liked the unique format of the child explaining to the parent. Also, the book was laid out in a very concise way that makes it clear for kids to read and understand coding, but also gain a lot of new information.

I was very excited by this book, I think kids will really be engaged. I read the ARC on NetGalley and then I went and pre-ordered a copy for my Library.

This was a very cute "what is coding" book that takes the unusual approach of casting the kid in the teacher role and the parent in the student role (technically it was more of a 'perplexed person needing everything explained to them' role). This role reversal will be fun for kids and may even make the details covered in the book stick better in their minds.

The actual details on coding are sparse, but the basics are there and explained in a way that actually makes sense.

For a first- or second-grader, this is perfect. My science-loving third-grader may be a bit beyond it, but they could probably get something out of this too.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for providing an early copy for review.

Thank you, Ruth Spiro, Charlesbridge, and NetGalley for the digital copy. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

If the kid is smart enough, they will read in-between the lines and learn to hack Intelligence agencies and participate in covert operations.

If not, I suspect they become Lord of the playground, with the swing serving as their throne.

All-in-all, a fun little gift for a second grade kid with science on their mind. I imagine this, along with the other entries in the series explaining STEM for kids would serve as a launching pad to explore the field given ChatGPT is but a click away. Querying the words 'algorithm' and 'loop' will be more than enough to be introduced to hours of material, falling down a rabbit hole of hard facts instead of using their parent's credit card to spend thousands in a pay-to-win mobile game.

The illustrations were fun. With roles inverted, it is the child teaching the adult the fantastical operations of a computer and how 'code' is a method of conversing with it.

Given the age category the book was tailored for and the goal of the author, it would be anything but unproductive to have a child running around with this book, re-reading it and in 20 years, dusting it off to have it read to his child.