5 Books to Teach Kids About Coding

DK Workbooks: Computer Coding, by Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff
This delightful workbook introduces children to the world of coding with engaging games and quizzes, from controlling a robot in a maze, to solving math problems. Coupled with easy to read instructions, DK Workbooks: Computer Coding uses Python, a free computer coding program and language, to help young readers build confidence in their coding.

Get Coding! Learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and Build a Website, App, and Game, by Young Rewired State
For kids and by kids, Get Coding! Learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and Build a Website, App, and Game is a wonderfully fun way to introduce young readers to the world of coding and programming. It also goes beyond basic coding and introduces children to concepts that will help build their own websites, apps, and games. As a bonus, the book is laid out in a user-friendly format that will make even newbies to the coding world feel welcome.

Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World, by Reshma Saujani
In 2012, Reshma Saujani started the organization Girls Who Code with a single goal in mind, to close the gender gap in technology. Since than the organization has helped over 50,000 girls learn vital coding skills. And now with the release of Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World, young girls across the globe can gain access the world of coding. Filled with easy instructions and real-life stories of women who work at cool tech companies like NASA and Pixar, and illustrated in bright and bold colors, Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World is a delight.

Getting Started with Coding: Get Creative with Code!, by Camille McCue
Made by the same people who created the wildly popular For Dummies series, Getting Started with Coding: Get Creative with Code! introduces young readers to the world of coding through fun and easy projects that have been kid-approved. Both easy to read and kid-accessible, Getting Started with Coding: Get Creative with Code! is a fun and common-sense way to get kids started on coding.

Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code, by Laurie Wallmark and Katy Wu
My kids loved the descriptions of Grace Hopper’s “tinkering” hobbies during her childhood, and the idea of the first computers being the size of an entire room boggled their minds. The text offers a straightforward explanation of basic computer coding, and how Grace’s contributions were significant. We all got a kick from learning where the expression “computer bug” came from, too—an actual moth who wreaked havoc on one of the earliest computers. This is an excellent title to give as an example of a woman’s contribution to computer science, and to provide a model of perseverance and problem-solving for any gender.