Children's Literature
Story Coding is an innovative approach that integrates coding concepts with children’s literacy to promote their computational thinking (CT). It enables children to code a story by the sequence of important events using basic coding concepts and allows children to practice coding during play. Children’s literature has enormous potential for helping children understand their own and others’ cultures (Wanless & Crawford, 2016). When paired with high-quality and diverse literature, Story Coding presents children with contextualized learning opportunities that are developmentally and culturally responsive to children’s development, interests, and cultural contexts.
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Some of the team's favorite children's books for coding are below. Read on!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
by Eric Carle
"This all-time favorite not only follows the very hungry caterpillar as it grows from egg to cocoon to beautiful butterfly, but also teaches the days of the week, counting, good nutrition and more. Striking pictures and cleverly die-cut pages offer interactive fun." (eric-carle.com)
Moonbear's Shadow
by Frank Asch
"Moonbear tries to outwit his troublesome shadow in this charming reissue of a beloved classic by award-winning author and illustrator Frank Asch.
One sunny day Bear decides to go fishing, but his shadow keeps scaring the fish away, time and time again. Bear tries everything he can think of to get rid of this pesky nuisance. And at last he succeeds—or so he thinks!" (Simonand schuster.com)
Up to My Knees
by Grace Lin
"Mei is so excited about her new garden! Discover the foundations of measurement and comparison with her as she waters, tends, and harvests her carefully-cultivated crop. Yum! Math is delicious.
This warm, inclusive introduction to measurement is part of the Storytelling Math series. Get in on the ground floor of learning with this series that combines essential math topics, diverse characters, and engaging stories!" (gracelin.com)
Lia and Luis: Who Has More?
by Ana Crespo
"Twins Lia and LuÃs argue over who has more of their favorite Brazilian snacks. The siblings compare amounts using measurement, counting, estimation, and finally weight to pick the winner. The solution involves clever math–and a little sharing." (anacrespobooks.com)
Thank You, Omu!
by Oge Mora
"Omu makes a stew for dinner and its smell spreads throughout the neighborhood. One by one, starting with a boy, members of the community knock on her door to ask her for some of the stew, which Omu always gives. When Omu is ready for dinner, there is no more stew left. However, the community then brings her food to show their gratitude. They eat together and have a dance party." (wikipedia)
Dragons Love Tacos
by Adam Rubin
"Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa . . . oh, boy. You’re in red-hot trouble." (penguinrandomhouse.com)
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