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How to Code with Pearl & Pascal
How to Code a Sandcastle
From the computer science nonprofit Girls Who Code comes this lively and funny story introducing kids to computer coding concepts.
Pearl and her trusty rust-proof robot, Pascal, need to build a sandcastle before summer vacation is over, and they’re going to do it using code. Pearl breaks the big we-need-a-sandcastle problem into smaller steps, then uses conditionals, loops, and other basic coding concepts to tell Pascal exactly what to do. But building a sandcastle isn’t as easy as it sounds when surfboards, mischievous dogs, and coding mishaps get in the way! Just when it looks like the sandcastle might never work, Pearl uses her coding skills to save the day and create something even better: a gorgeous sandcastle kingdom!
Pearl and her trusty rust-proof robot, Pascal, need to build a sandcastle before summer vacation is over, and they’re going to do it using code. Pearl breaks the big we-need-a-sandcastle problem into smaller steps, then uses conditionals, loops, and other basic coding concepts to tell Pascal exactly what to do. But building a sandcastle isn’t as easy as it sounds when surfboards, mischievous dogs, and coding mishaps get in the way! Just when it looks like the sandcastle might never work, Pearl uses her coding skills to save the day and create something even better: a gorgeous sandcastle kingdom!
44 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2018
17 people are currently reading
728 people want to read
About the author
Josh Funk
26 books650 followersJosh Funk is the author of the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, the How to Code with Pearl and Pascal series, Dear Unicorn, Dear Dragon, My Pet Feet, the It's Not a Fairy Tale series, Lost in the Library and more. His books have sold more than half a million copies worldwide and been translated into a dozen languages.
Josh grew up in New England and studied Computer Science in school. Today, he still lives in New England and when not writing Java code or Python scripts, he drinks Java coffee and writes manuscripts. Since the fall of 2015, Josh has presented (or virtually presented) at over 850 schools, classrooms, and libraries.
Josh is terrible at writing bios, so please help fill in the blanks. Josh enjoys _______ during ________ and has always loved __________. He has played ____________ since age __ and his biggest fear in life is being eaten by a __________.
For more about Josh Funk, visit joshfunkbooks.com and at @joshfunkbooks on socials.
Josh grew up in New England and studied Computer Science in school. Today, he still lives in New England and when not writing Java code or Python scripts, he drinks Java coffee and writes manuscripts. Since the fall of 2015, Josh has presented (or virtually presented) at over 850 schools, classrooms, and libraries.
Josh is terrible at writing bios, so please help fill in the blanks. Josh enjoys _______ during ________ and has always loved __________. He has played ____________ since age __ and his biggest fear in life is being eaten by a __________.
For more about Josh Funk, visit joshfunkbooks.com and at @joshfunkbooks on socials.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
October 30, 2018
Pearl is on her last day of summer vacation and she’s yet to actually build a sand castle. So she brought along her robot, Pascal, in hopes of getting help. She starts by telling Pascal to build a sandcastle, but he just sits there — it’s a no-go! Why? Because her directions are too broad.
Pearl begins breaking down each step, adding in a loop, and in the end she faces… DISASTER! Her castle is in shambles and she will have to start all over. However, she learns from her mistakes and figures out a much better way to build her castle. It takes patience and diligence, but she finally succeeds.
I’m very pleased to find a new book on coding AND with a female main character. This would be a great way to introduce coding to a young group of children (or a way to reinforce a coding lesson to students who are already learning to code). The accompanying illustrations were rendered digitally in combination with gouache and acrylic paintings. This book is the first of a new sequel, so I’ll be interested in seeing what they decide to code in book #2.
For this and more #kidlit, #mglit, and #yalit book reviews, please visit my blog: The Miller Memo.
“…a coder takes one big problem and breaks it into several smaller ones. If I give Pascal enough instructions that he does know, we’ll build this castle in no time!”
Pearl begins breaking down each step, adding in a loop, and in the end she faces… DISASTER! Her castle is in shambles and she will have to start all over. However, she learns from her mistakes and figures out a much better way to build her castle. It takes patience and diligence, but she finally succeeds.
I’m very pleased to find a new book on coding AND with a female main character. This would be a great way to introduce coding to a young group of children (or a way to reinforce a coding lesson to students who are already learning to code). The accompanying illustrations were rendered digitally in combination with gouache and acrylic paintings. This book is the first of a new sequel, so I’ll be interested in seeing what they decide to code in book #2.
For this and more #kidlit, #mglit, and #yalit book reviews, please visit my blog: The Miller Memo.
May 27, 2018
I originally purchased this book because I have so far liked all books by Josh Funk. As a librarian who teaches coding to her students K-6 I have used the code.org curriculum, and although for the most part it is fantastic, I was never very excited about the "unplugged" activities that were available for younger coders. How to Code a Sandcastle will be my go to book anchor from now on! It takes a familiar activity, be it because the reader has engaged in this activity or has been exposed to it by TV or books, and weaves the concepts of what coders do, how they approach a problem, and the basic commands of sequence, loop, and if-then-else, in an accessible, fun, and most of all, practical way! Pearl and Pascal's teamwork and problem solving skills are those young readers can relate to, and their adventures with a sand castle, can easily prompt readers to recreate using other situations and materials. This is a keeper in our coding, making, problem solving library!
May 2, 2018
Children are learning about technology concepts such as computer coding at younger and younger ages. So this fun summertime picture book that tells the story of young Pearl and her quest to build the best sandcastle ever is a terrific way to introduce this topic to both young readers and the grown-ups who care for them (many of whom are also unfamiliar with coding). According to the foreword written by Reshma Saujani (founder and CEO of Girls Who Code): "Girls Who Code is an organization that wants to teach every girl to learn to code! And you don't have to wait until middle school or later to introduce girls to coding. Just like kids begin to learn about subjects like animals, history, and space before they get to kindergarten, we want to make coding a familiar part of every child's world. By introducing the core concepts of coding to children now, we're helping prepare them for a future of changing the world through code." This book is a terrific addition to any child's bookshelf, as this important topic is going to be an essential component of his or her education.
April 14, 2018
This book arrived at the perfect time! We have participated in the Hour of Code for a couple of years but just launched a K-5th coding curriculum at my elementary school. Josh’s book provides a fantastic introduction to coding.
Pearl has been spending the summer trying to build the perfect sandcastle. She finally decides to program her robot, Pascal, to build it. Pearl walks the reader through some basic coding commands. Pascal and Pearl have some hilarious encounters along the way. This book is fun and provides a great way to introduce coding to your students. I highly recommend this book! I love some of the inside coding jokes that were in the book. Things like starting the book by saying “hello world” and having one of the characters named after a coding language.
Pearl has been spending the summer trying to build the perfect sandcastle. She finally decides to program her robot, Pascal, to build it. Pearl walks the reader through some basic coding commands. Pascal and Pearl have some hilarious encounters along the way. This book is fun and provides a great way to introduce coding to your students. I highly recommend this book! I love some of the inside coding jokes that were in the book. Things like starting the book by saying “hello world” and having one of the characters named after a coding language.
January 28, 2018
A little Brown girl just wants to build a sandcastle at the beach. She realizes she can use code to teach her robot Pascal how to build an epic sandcastle! Funk's sense of humor is great, as usual, and I love how he makes coding simple and easy to understand for children. Palacios' illustrations are lovely and will make you yearn for a warm sunny day at the beach. Great first collab between GIRLS WHO CODE & Penguin. #GirlsinStem #SummerRead #PictureBooks #DiverseBooks
July 7, 2019
Pearl wants to build a sandcastle, so she programs her robot Pascal to help her. She uses conditional statements and looping, which introduces coding logic to children. Even more importantly, Pearl demonstrates the trial-and-error and perseverance necessary to create something of value, whether it be computer software, a sandcastle kingdom, or something else entirely.
February 12, 2018
This is a book that will teach a wide audience. Between the curriculum ties (STEM, coding, how to book) and it being a picture book in the “girls who code” series (check out the chapter books), there are going to be a lot of readers for this book!
May 27, 2018
My second-fourth grade students loved this book. A great introduction to coding. We read this book and then did some fun coding apps on the iPad.
August 11, 2018
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book today is How To Code A Sandcastle, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Sara Palacios, a wonderful introduction to computer language as part of Girls Who Code’s book series.
Pearl is excited: today is the last day of summer, and her last opportunity to build the sandcastle of her dreams. She’s tried before, but various frisbee-, surfboard-, and dog-related incidents have impeded her work. But today, she’s brought her trusty robot Pascal to help her. Pearl expects that Pascal will be a very helpful addition, but she has to give him instructions in “code” – specific programming language that machines understand. Using methods such as detailed instructions for finding a site, using a looped sequence for gathering sand, and an IF-THEN-ELSE for finding decorations, Pearl and Pascal are able to create a lovely sandcastle. But when they are gathering the finishing touches, high tide sneaks up and washes away their work! Pearl is momentarily dispirited, but she quickly has a flash of inspiration: building a moat will protect the castle! So using her recycled code from the first castle and a new command for moat-building, Pearl and Pascal set their sights on not just one castle, but a whole sand kingdom.
LOVED this! What a clever and fun way to introduce the language of computer science to little readers. The way the basic concepts are translated into child-friendly examples is inspired, with an appendix that goes into the commands with more detail. The illustrations are fun, bright, and fit the tone and subject matter perfectly. And I especially loved that, as a book that encourages ALL kids to explore computer science, Pearl is not only a girl but a POC as well. The length is great, JJ loved it, and this one was just wonderful! Baby Bookworm approved!
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
July 17, 2018
Coding is almost this century's writing. Without knowing to code you are illiterate. This is why nowadays books like "How to code a sandcastle" are the most popular and parents' choice. This book teaches basic coding terms, illustrates pretty, and makes a fun story from them for kids.
In the first page of the book, there is Reshma Saujani's, founder of Girls Who Code (Girls Who Code is a nonprofit organization which aims to support and increases the number of women in computer science.), foreword. There she wrote, "... you don't have to wait until middle school or late to introduce girls to coding..." Every girl should be familiar with coding. They shouldn't ask what's coding when they are in high school. This book does a good job about these topics. We are all hoping that our future women will be scientists, engineers, coders, programmers, and whatever they want to be. And we are all hoping that we will close the gender gap between men and women in STEM areas as soon as possible.
One of the best things about the book is the main character is a very cute, curious girl. So this will break down the stereotyped ideas about girls cannot be in the STEM fields.
Illustrations of the book are excellent. Unlike some movies and books, there is a robot named Pascal and he is very cute. So children will not be scared of robots conversely they will love them.
At the end of the book, there is a small dictionary for some of the coding terms so if you want to review them you can look and have more ideas about them.
Don't give up! Be brave! and Just do it, super coder!
In the first page of the book, there is Reshma Saujani's, founder of Girls Who Code (Girls Who Code is a nonprofit organization which aims to support and increases the number of women in computer science.), foreword. There she wrote, "... you don't have to wait until middle school or late to introduce girls to coding..." Every girl should be familiar with coding. They shouldn't ask what's coding when they are in high school. This book does a good job about these topics. We are all hoping that our future women will be scientists, engineers, coders, programmers, and whatever they want to be. And we are all hoping that we will close the gender gap between men and women in STEM areas as soon as possible.
One of the best things about the book is the main character is a very cute, curious girl. So this will break down the stereotyped ideas about girls cannot be in the STEM fields.
Illustrations of the book are excellent. Unlike some movies and books, there is a robot named Pascal and he is very cute. So children will not be scared of robots conversely they will love them.
At the end of the book, there is a small dictionary for some of the coding terms so if you want to review them you can look and have more ideas about them.
Don't give up! Be brave! and Just do it, super coder!
May 10, 2020
Through books like the Secret Coders series, Two Naomis, and now How to Code a Sandcastle, I’ve slowly begun to learn more and more about coding, and I find it fascinating! If I was a kid now, I would be so excited to have books like these to introduce me to coding. How to Code a Sandcastle is special because it takes coding, which is a tool that is primarily not taught until middle school or later, and makes it accessible to younger kids helping them build their coding vocabulary and knowledge at a young age. My son at age 4 now knows a basic idea of what coding is which is such a great foundation! Bravo Josh and Brava Sara for producing such an essential and gosh-darn funny book for kids.
Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...
Read on FB Live by the Author 5/2/20
Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...
Read on FB Live by the Author 5/2/20
May 12, 2018
I love this book! I am a big fan of books that make STEM subjects interesting and relatable for kids. This book explains simple coding terms in reference to an activity that kids can recognize and relate to. The main character is a young girl named Pearl who breaks down her problem (how to build a sandcastle) into smaller problems. She then uses simple coding techniques and language to get her robot Pascal to build the sandcastle. I really like how she gives definitions for the coding vocabulary, and also shows some of the trial and error of teaching the code to her robot. The characters are often funny and the story will keep kids entertained while also teaching them. The illustrations are bright and vivid, complementing the story with the entertaining antics of the well meaning robot. I highly recommend this book to kids of all ages!
December 10, 2018
This is an interesting foray into the very basic concepts of coding for the pre-K and early elementary ages. The core concepts addressed and defined include code, sequence, loop, and if-then-else (conditional statement). The narrative is structured around the task of a young girl building a sandcastle at the beach. I like the idea here, and I'll be interested to see how this is received by kids. The story itself did not do much for me. The text became a bit confusing as I navigated between between the narrator, the girl, and the robot--all of whom are represented in different font and the latter two in different styles of speech bubbles as well. Overall, an intriguing approach to introducing coding using a goal that many kids would be interested in--because, really, who DOESN'T want to build a sandcastle at the beach?
Thanks to Penguin Random House for the review copy.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for the review copy.
November 10, 2017
I just heard this book! It was read to me by the amazing Josh Funk in a Skype call he did with my students. It is packed with so much great information about coding, but in the form of a story. Younger students will appreciate the artwork and the humour, and older kids will understand some of the coding references. If you are thinking of introducing coding to your class, this book is great! Its also just a funny book to read with your kids when it comes out.
May 16, 2018
Coding is all the rage in our school district. Students do it during tech class, they take after school enrichment classes in coding, they code at home! This book will inspire budding coders to try their hand at this fun hobby. I love the illustrations and the back matter that explains the coding terms used in the book. I’m excited to see future books in this series.
July 28, 2018
Love the problem solving outlook that Pearl has, experimenting and trying things again. This picture book introduces young kids to the concepts of coding while keeping the story flowing. I especially like how the illustrations help reinforce and explain concepts like looping. A great into to coding for young kids.
January 22, 2018
Yet another amazing book by Josh Funk. It is such a clever way to teach the basics of coding. It would be a great read for anyone who wants to understand what coding is. I seriously think my mother needs to read this! Kids will enjoy this as both a story and a learning tool.
June 6, 2018
Intro to computing concepts like loops, if-then, and code once/use many times, all in a cool storyline about building a sandcastle at the beach.
I like the way Pearl finds problems with the instructions she gives her robot, Pascal. The iterative way she "writes" the code is very realistic.
I like the way Pearl finds problems with the instructions she gives her robot, Pascal. The iterative way she "writes" the code is very realistic.
June 11, 2018
My first thought was, "Great, let's ruin the carefree joy of beach play with computer coding...*yawn*" - but this book is completely adorable! Perfectly explains basic coding concepts for the youngest readers. Highly recommended for use in the elementary classroom.
October 22, 2018
This book is so cool! It's such a fun way of introducing the concept of coding to young readers (I learned things too!) A great read-aloud option that's sure to spark lots of conversation and interest.
February 13, 2019
Penny review : “This book is about a code and how to build a sandcastle. My favorite part is when they made a big giant loop around the sandcastle. I wish I had a robot to water all my moms plants. Maybe my dad will help me build a robot.”
April 5, 2019
A fun, light-hearted read aloud for our middle school ICT classes introducing computer science terms like conditionals, loops, iterations, and more! Fans of BrainPOP animations will like seeing a little girl and her robot taking on the step by step challenges of building a sand castle.
July 13, 2024
Most say this is for 4 - 8 years, but I'd go a bit older to truly understand the concept of coding. This does a great job introducing coding to children by breakdown to it's bare foundations of sequencing, looping and if-then-else aspect.
May 22, 2018
This is the first picture book I have seen about coding; hooray that it had a poc, girl as the MC! Cute illustrations.
July 6, 2018
Eh...I'm all about coding for all children, but geez kid. It's just a sandcastle. They aren't hard to build.
August 11, 2018
Fun and creative introduction to coding. I love how the author integrated the basics of coding into this cute story about building a sandcastle. I hope there will be more books in this series.
October 14, 2018
Pearl teaches her robot how to build a sandcastle using code. This is a nice step-by-step introduction to code using humor to make its points.
February 17, 2022
As someone (a full-grown adult) who does not understand coding in the least, I appreciated this straightforward, easy to understand explanation. It is a cute and simple picture book that addresses a complex subject in an easy to comprehend way. My sole critique is that the illustrations, while adorable, felt a bot too juvenile for the intended audience.
December 23, 2019
Girls who code! Love it! My aunt, who is s computer programmer, gave it a thumbs up!
May 29, 2018
It's the last day of summer vacation and Pearl's very last chance to try and successfully build a sandcastle. Troubles of all kinds have thwarted her plans and have caused every attempt to flop. Pearl isn't the sort to give up though, she is an inventive problem solver. She brainstorms an idea that involves her trusty robot, Pascal who can only understand her commands through code. Through a series of instructions, Pearl gets to enjoy a summer sandcastle at last with a moat to boot. Go Pearl, Go!
How to Code a Sandcastle is a Girls Who Code Book that includes a foreword by the organization's founder, Reshma Saujani, encouraging exposure and early access to coding. Josh Funk brilliantly weaves code into the story and introduces the reader to the basic concepts of sequences and loops. I like Sara Palacios combination of full-page illustrations and panels, they are fun and colorful; They do a great job of helping the reader understand the sequences and loops, and takes you straight to the beach. At the end of the school year, that's the place to be. I will definitely add this book to my end of the school year, it's almost summer reads alongside Kwame Alexander's Surfs Up and Aaron Reynolds, Dude!
I can say with complete confidence that I will love any book that Josh Funk writes for our children to enjoy. When I consider this school year alone, in my K-5 library, I have read It's Not Jack & The Beanstalk (which happens to be the first Josh Funk Book I read to my kiddos), Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, The Case of the Stinky Stench, and Pirasaurs. We also were a lucky bunch because we got to Google Hangout with Josh Funk on WRAD (World Read Aloud Day) when he read his book Lost in the Library (releases August 2018) to my kindergarten students!
Any book of his that we don't yet own, you can be assured is on my book order for next school year. His books are fun, imaginative, and cleverly creative with a mystery-solving breakfast team (Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast), a pint-sized pirasaur (ya know a pirate dinosaur) trying to roll with the big dinos, an unruly main character (Jack) who wants to complicate the narrator's story, giving the reader a chance to experience Jack & the Bean Stalk like never before! Can you tell I'm a fan? Any author who can get my students this fired up about reading is worth being excited about!
If you've never read a Josh Funk book before, start here with How to Code a Sandcastle and then read all of his other great books too!
How to Code a Sandcastle
Josh Funk
How to Code a Sandcastle is a Girls Who Code Book that includes a foreword by the organization's founder, Reshma Saujani, encouraging exposure and early access to coding. Josh Funk brilliantly weaves code into the story and introduces the reader to the basic concepts of sequences and loops. I like Sara Palacios combination of full-page illustrations and panels, they are fun and colorful; They do a great job of helping the reader understand the sequences and loops, and takes you straight to the beach. At the end of the school year, that's the place to be. I will definitely add this book to my end of the school year, it's almost summer reads alongside Kwame Alexander's Surfs Up and Aaron Reynolds, Dude!
I can say with complete confidence that I will love any book that Josh Funk writes for our children to enjoy. When I consider this school year alone, in my K-5 library, I have read It's Not Jack & The Beanstalk (which happens to be the first Josh Funk Book I read to my kiddos), Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, The Case of the Stinky Stench, and Pirasaurs. We also were a lucky bunch because we got to Google Hangout with Josh Funk on WRAD (World Read Aloud Day) when he read his book Lost in the Library (releases August 2018) to my kindergarten students!
Any book of his that we don't yet own, you can be assured is on my book order for next school year. His books are fun, imaginative, and cleverly creative with a mystery-solving breakfast team (Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast), a pint-sized pirasaur (ya know a pirate dinosaur) trying to roll with the big dinos, an unruly main character (Jack) who wants to complicate the narrator's story, giving the reader a chance to experience Jack & the Bean Stalk like never before! Can you tell I'm a fan? Any author who can get my students this fired up about reading is worth being excited about!
If you've never read a Josh Funk book before, start here with How to Code a Sandcastle and then read all of his other great books too!
How to Code a Sandcastle
Josh FunkDisplaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews