It is so
great to see a book about coding that tackles a kid-friendly problem. This is another book that would be excellent for a classroom or school library collection. Or maybe even to read during summer camp. The foreword by Reshma Saujani, Founder of Girls Who Code, helps explain why introducing basic concepts of coding to young children helps to prepare them for their future.
Summary from Amazon
All summer,
Pearl has been trying to build the perfect sandcastle, but out-of-control
Frisbees and mischievous puppies keep getting in the way! Pearl and her robot
friend Pascal have one last chance, and this time, they’re going to use code to
get the job done. Using fundamental computer coding concepts like sequences and
loops, Pearl and Pascal are able to break down their sandcastle problem into
small, manageable steps. If they can create working code, this could turn out
to be the best beach day ever!
How to Code a Sandcastle, written by Josh
Funk and illustrated by Sara Palacios was published in 2018 by Viking Children’s
Books.
Opening:
Hello, World. I’m Pearl.
It’s the last day of summer vacation.
Which means today is my very last
chance
to build a sandcastle!
My Thoughts as a Writer:
The beginning
of this story shows all the problems Pearl has met in trying to build a
sandcastle—a great set up for the solution of using a robot to help her. I
liked the way the story shows Pearl’s reactions to the problems that crop up as
she uses the robot.
My Thoughts as an Educator:
The idea of
breaking a big problem down into smaller problems to solve is what really came
through for me as a key concept in this story. I also really liked the way the
book explains concepts such as “loop” and “sequence” in a kid-friendly way. The
illustrations are fun and the problems of not giving specific enough instructions
to the robot add a lot of light humor to this story.
Ages: 4-8
Grades: K – 3
Themes: coding, problem-solving, sandcastles
Activities:
Imagine & Draw: Design your own fantastic sandcastle! Draw a picture and include all
the features that will make your sandcastle really awesome.
Write: Think
about the steps a robot would need to build a tower or bridge. What sequences
might you need? What loops could help save on the work? Draw and write to show
your steps. Build a model of your design.
STEM: Create
a coding game! Design a set of cards to show how the robot would move from the
sandcastle to the water to fill the castle moat. What obstacles would be in the
way? What directions would the robot need to move?
Oh, oh, oh, I've been meaning to read this one. Thanks for the reminder! I'll put it on hold at the library. Thanks!
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