Nick Morgan - JavaScript for Kids: A Playful Introduction To Programming

First off, read it in order! That might sound like a silly thing to say, but lots of people want to jump straight into the fun stuff, like making games. But each chapter is meant to build on what was covered in earlier chapters, so if you begin at the beginning, youll have an easier time when you get to the games.

Programming languages are like spoken languages: you have to learn the grammar and the vocabulary, and this takes time. The only way to improve is by writing (and reading) a lot of code. As you write more and more JavaScript, youll find certain parts of the language become second nature, and eventually youll become a fluent writer of JavaScript.

As you read, I encourage you to type out and test the code examples throughout the book. If you dont fully understand whats going on, try making small changes to see what effect they have. If the changes dont have the effect you expected, see if you can find out why.

Above all, work through the Try It Out and sections. Typing out the code that appears in the book is a good first step, but youll understand programming at a deeper level when you start writing your own code. If you find a challenge interesting, then keep at it! Come up with your own challenges to build even more onto the programs youve written.

Youll find sample solutions to the programming challenges (as well as the code files for the games and other examples) at http://nostarch.com/javascriptforkids/ . Try looking at the solutions after youve solved a challenge, so you can compare your approach to mine. Or, if youre stuck, you can check the solution for hints. But remember that these are just sample solutions. There are many, many different ways to accomplish the same goal in JavaScript, so dont worry if you end up with a completely different solution from mine!

If you come across a word and you dont know what it means, check the glossary at the back of the book. The glossary contains definitions for many of the programming terms youll encounter in this book.