Hello World!
Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners (2nd Edition)
Warren Sande and Carter Sande
(Manning, paperback)
Many politicians, educators and pundits keep arguing over whether the United States should offer computer programming classes to all students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Others say all of us, including senior citizens, should do some coding to help us (1) maintain mental sharpness and good computer skills and (2) ward off late-in-life memory problems such as dementia.
These contentious debates are a long way from being settled, of course. Meanwhile, questions also rage over which programming languages we should learn. There are, after all, many dozens now in use.
Experienced software developers often state that Python is a good choice for youngsters ready to tackle their first “real” language, particularly once they have spent some time mastering Scratch, which MIT describes as “a programming language and an online community where children can program and share interactive media such as stories, games, and animation with people from all over the world.”
Manning Publications recently has brought out an updated second edition of its popular Python how-to book, Hello World!, written by Warren Sande and his son Carter Sande.
Some parents want to hand a programming book over to a child and let them learn at their own pace. And that can be done, in many cases, with Hello World! (It is written at a 12-year-old’s reading level, according to Manning). But other parents want to share the learning experience and be mentors, too, and the Sande book can be used effectively that way, as well. In either case, many children younger than 12 also should be able to learn from it.
Be sure to note the “Other Beginners” in the book’s subtitle. I have taken classes in Python, and I have worked my way through a couple of Python programming books. Hello World! is proving a useful addition to my library, too, because it gives some clear explanations and examples for many different concepts, such as using variable nested loops, importing portions of modules, or providing collision detection in a game, to name just a few.
One big question quickly pops up when someone decides to learn to program in Python: Python 2 or Python 3?
Several years ago, the language was updated from version 2 to version 3, but many users of version 2 chose to not upgrade. So now we recently have had Python 2.7.6 and Python 3.3.3 (with Python 3.4 coming soon). The two versions have some similarities, but they also have essential differences. Bottom line: They do not play well together.
In this second edition of Hello World!, the authors have elected to stick with Python 2 in their text and code examples. But they have added notes to help make the code work for students using Python 3. Likewise, they have added an appendix explaining some major differences between Python 2 and Python 3.
Other significant changes include using color in illustrations and code listings and, in the chapter on GUI programming, using PyQT, rather than the no-longer-supported PythonCard. And the updated book now spans more than 460 pages, including its index.
With Hello World!, even the most eager student who is a very fast reader can be kept focused and busy for many hours while learning how to program in Python.
— Si Dunn
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