I may have had the right idea back in January when I stated that my primary motivation was to read this book as a tool for making me a better teacher, but it might play out a little differently - the best idea would be to assign this book as required reading. It's too bad that I didn't have this kind of work available to me all those years ago when I racked up several dollars in late fees for SQL for Dummies, though I regret nothing; I am sure SQL for Dummies will someday get the recognition it deserves as an early classic in programming literature.
Python for Kids by Jason R. Briggs (March 2021)
Python for Kids, however, is an object in its own class. I recognized a few specific concepts from my college course in the language and I understood the basic programming ideas thanks to my general knowledge, but it would be foolish to claim adulthood as a sufficient qualification for skipping this book. My book notes collect the details that I felt would be most helpful for me in the future, but these are missing some of the main ideas that are essential knowledge for any beginner. What I stress whenever I help a programmer includes a few of the tips that Briggs illustrates - break complex code into chunks to improve readability, think logically and intuitively about the problem before coding, and load the data early in the program to streamline downstream performance. These are not PhD-level ideas, in fact they are barely programming ideas - simplification, logical intuition, and adequate preparation are critical skills in every field, and any book which helps students of all ages develop these abilities deserves my recognition.
TOA Rating: Three tuples out of four
