A Day in Code: An illustrated story written in the C programming language

The book teaches readers the ins and outs of basic C programming, shows the readers how to structure code, and has code that the readers can run to understand how a computer reads a C file. 

While the book is intended for a younger audience, it does get a bit technical and the reader may need some adult intervention in order to completely understand the programming written within the book. Older readers, however, may find the story and coding in the book much more digestible and will find the book very informative and can even start coding with the basics that they learned in this book.

The book is an excellent introduction to C programming for ages 10+. “A Day in Code” translates each command used during the story into an easily understandable explanation so that the reader can easily apply the code into a program themselves. The reader will learn how coding can be used on a practical, daily basis and encourages them to think in code for different activities, providing ten different programs for ten activities. While the explanations and illustrations for the commands can be slightly confusing, an excited and motivated reader will stay engaged and learn much about the language. With their own computer, the readers will easily be able to follow along with the code and understand the purpose of a command and its relationship with the output. The explanations are very thorough, which might appeal to an older audience, and provide all the knowledge necessary to complete a program in the C language. The book is an excellent introduction to the computer engineering/science world. With an increasing emphasis on computer programming languages in the workforce, it's not hard to see the benefit of such a comprehensive resource for young children entering such a technologically dependent world. 

Throughout the story, the reader will learn about the problem, create a process to apply the code explained in the book, and communicate a solution through their own code. While computation using a computer can be a difficult concept to learn, even for a more experienced audience, the book's relatable and engaging storytelling helps the reader utilize their critical and computational thinking skills to understand the premise of the book and the story. With adult guidance, A Day in Code: C is an excellent resource for readers to get a head start in coding. 

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Framework Categories

Engineering Thinking (EThink)
Computational Thinking

Moore, T.J., Glancy, A.W., Tank, K.M., Kersten, J.A., Smith, K.A., & Stohlmann, M.S. (2014). A framework for quality K-12 engineering education: Research and development. Journal of Precollege Engineering Education Research, 4(1), 1-13.