These kids’ books make learning fun

There are many books on the market today aimed at teaching kids how to get the most from their home computers. Two of these are Computers for Kids, by Sally Greenwood Larsen, and Katie and the Computer, by Fred D’lgnazio. Both are From Creative Computing Press and both should delight young computer users everywhere.

Katie presents an Alice in Wonderland-type of story in which a young girl travels inside a home computer to see how it works. The machine is presented as a fantasy world of excitement and mystery; its various functions are personified as workers in a large metropolis. Through her computer travels, Katie witnesses first-hand how each function operates as she visits each worker on a quest to produce a picture of a flower on her monitor. She learns that each byte (worker) represents a specific number or letter and that the various functions (also workers) must work together in a precise order to produce the desired results.

There are no ‘how-to’s in this book. It will not teach children who already have home computers how to use them. More of a bedtime story along the lines of a fairy tale, Katie and the Computer is useful for introducing children to the idea of operating a home computer, for they will easily identify with Katie as she feels “happy, scared, and sil¬ ly all at the same time.” Like Katie, children may discover that using a home computer is “better than a roller coaster.”

Computers for Kids, on the other hand, is a straightforward ‘how-to’ book that will guide home computer users of all ages through the various functions of the computer by practical application. Its step-by-step instructions allow hands-on application of principles that are outlined clearly and precisely. It is laid out attractively in lesson form with kids in mind: the lesson on flowcharting, for example, presents the problem, “How to Scare your Mom with an Elephant.”

Unlike Katie and the Computer, which is a hardcover book with full color illustrations (by Stan Gilliam), Computers for Kids is a softcover edition with black and white illustrations. But the illustrations are secondary to the text, which includes sections on flowcharting, programming, saving and loading, and explains terms used in Basic. Computers for Kids introduces children to the computer in a friendly, no-nonsense way, and encourages exploration and experimentation. It emphasizes that knowledge and know-how increases with practice, and encourages users to create and try out their own programs. A very helpful special section is aimed at helping parents and teachers, but the book is so easy to follow and the lessons so well explained that most kids should be able to follow it quite easily on their own. And once they’ve read the book and practiced the lesson assignments, they will have developed a sound understanding of their computer and will be ready to go on to a more in-depth study of computer language and technology. But of course they’ll just think they’re having fun.

To be useful as a learning guide, Katie and the Computer would unquestionably have to be used in conjunction with a book such as Computers for Kids. Katie inspires questions it does not answer. It will take its place on the shelf beside other childrens’ stories, but Computers for Kids will be kept within reach of the computer, a useful guide and reference for the novice of any age.