Hello Ruby: Journey Inside the Computer (Hello Ruby, 2) - Hardcover

Liukas, Linda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1250065321 ISBN 13: 9781250065322

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 2017

Synopsis

What exactly is a computer? How does it work? What is it made of? Learn all this and more with Ruby!

In Ruby's world anything is possible if you put your mind to it―even fixing her father's broken computer! Join Ruby and her new friend, Mouse, on an imaginative journey through the insides of a computer in search of the missing Cursor.

From bits and logic gates to computer hardware, in Journey Inside the Computer, Ruby (and her readers!) will learn the basic elements of the machines that power our world. Then future kid coders can put their knowledge and imaginations to work with fun activities.

Praise for Linda Liukas and the Hello Ruby series:

"[Linda Liukas] wants kids to understand and embrace basic computer logic, so that they later formulate code in the same effortless and creative way they build structures with LEGO." ―The Wall Street Journal

"Hello Ruby by Linda Liukas is half picture book and half activity book rolled into one adorable package. What I love about it is that it introduces programming without requiring a computer at all." ―GeekMom.com

About this title

About the Author

Linda Liukas is a programmer, storyteller, and illustrator from Helsinki, Finland. The idea for Hello Ruby first made its debut on Kickstarter and quickly smashed its $10,000 funding goal in just three and a half hours gathering $380,000 in total to become Kickstarter's most funded children's book.

Linda is a central figure in the world of programming and worked on edutech before it was even called that. Linda is the founder of Rails Girls, a global phenomenon teaching the basics of programming to young women all over the world. The workshops, organized by volunteers in over 160 cities, have in a few years taught more than 10,000 women the foundations of programming.

Linda has studied in business, design, and engineering at Aalto University and product engineering at Stanford University. She was selected as the 2013 Ruby Hero (the most notable prize within the Ruby programming community) and she's the Digital Champion of Finland, appointed by EU commissioner Neelie Kroes. She lives in Helsinki, Finland.

Reviews

Gr 1–3—Liukas combines the picture book format with an activity book to introduce young readers to computers and programming. In the first half, main character Ruby shrinks and enters her dad's computer to see why the cursor isn't responding, tumbling into an Alice in Wonderland—esque adventure. In her quest, Ruby encounters bits, logic gates, the CPU and GPU, RAM, ROM, and software; she learns what part each of them play in the operation of the computer, and a little about their nature (the fact that bits "only talk in ones and zeroes"). Illustrations, done in Adobe Photoshop, depict the scenes inside the computer. Backgrounds in the areas Ruby explores resemble circuit boards or rows of binary code. Processors, memory cards, and other hardware scurry about on stick legs following CPU's orders. Activities in the book's second half prompt readers to assemble a paper model of a computer, go on a safari to identify computers, and even design their own operating system. An introduction to the characters at the front of the book explains basic functions and a glossary in the back defines useful terms. Sidebars offer advice for parents and educators. VERDICT A gentle introduction to the world of computers and associated vocabulary. Recommended for elementary libraries, STEM programs, and computer labs.—Suzanne Costner, Fairview Elementary School, Maryville, TN

Edition details

• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1250065321
• ISBN 13: 9781250065322
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96