Book Review - Look Mom! I Built My Own Web Site! by Zohar Amihud
Category Book Reviews
Do you have a 9 to 12 year old that wants to understand how to build their own web page? A good choice to get them started would be Look Mom! I Built My Own Web Site! by Zohar Amihud. It's pretty age-appropriate to that level...
Chapter List: How To Begin Building A Personal Web Site; Writing Your First Web Page; Playing With Text; Add A Link; Add An Image; Playing With Color; Using A Table; Using A Table For Page Layout; Creating A Menu And Finish Building Your Web Site; What Next?; Stages Of Building Your Own Web Site; Making Your Site Live!; Choosing A Web Hosting Server For Your Web Pages; Promote Your Web Site; Index
First off, true confessions... My kids are past the 9 - 12 age frame. The youngest (who happens to be the more computer-savvy of the two) is pushing 17. But it wasn't that long ago that he wanted to start building his own home page on the web, and I had to look hard to find a book that was easy enough for him to read and learn from, while still covering all the necessary information. Amihud does a good job striking that balance for his target audience. The chapters up to the point of making the site live are well-detailed with plenty of pictures and age-appropriate instruction and language. I'd guess that most pre-teens would be able to take this book and follow along with little difficulty. I was also impressed that the teaching was for properly formatted and strict HTML... He uses META tags, target parameters in the Anchor tags, and even uses the proper XHTML format for the BR tag. Nicely done...
The book gets a little iffy when you get to the parts about choosing a web hosting server. There is a lot of talk about hosting options, domain names, service and support levels, etc. Basically, it starts to get a little more difficult to follow the flow of information, and the style moves from more of a "follow this step" to "here's the information you'll need to know". Much more abstract, and it will probably confuse a number of readers. I would have liked to have seen two or three examples of hosting services listed, as well as instructions on how to upload your site to them. I think that would have bridged the gap between theory and practical for the younger readers.
Overall, a nice book to give your kid if he's looking to establish an on-line site... He might even learn a useful skill or two in the process...
Do you have a 9 to 12 year old that wants to understand how to build their own web page? A good choice to get them started would be Look Mom! I Built My Own Web Site! by Zohar Amihud. It's pretty age-appropriate to that level...
Chapter List: How To Begin Building A Personal Web Site; Writing Your First Web Page; Playing With Text; Add A Link; Add An Image; Playing With Color; Using A Table; Using A Table For Page Layout; Creating A Menu And Finish Building Your Web Site; What Next?; Stages Of Building Your Own Web Site; Making Your Site Live!; Choosing A Web Hosting Server For Your Web Pages; Promote Your Web Site; Index
First off, true confessions... My kids are past the 9 - 12 age frame. The youngest (who happens to be the more computer-savvy of the two) is pushing 17. But it wasn't that long ago that he wanted to start building his own home page on the web, and I had to look hard to find a book that was easy enough for him to read and learn from, while still covering all the necessary information. Amihud does a good job striking that balance for his target audience. The chapters up to the point of making the site live are well-detailed with plenty of pictures and age-appropriate instruction and language. I'd guess that most pre-teens would be able to take this book and follow along with little difficulty. I was also impressed that the teaching was for properly formatted and strict HTML... He uses META tags, target parameters in the Anchor tags, and even uses the proper XHTML format for the BR tag. Nicely done...
The book gets a little iffy when you get to the parts about choosing a web hosting server. There is a lot of talk about hosting options, domain names, service and support levels, etc. Basically, it starts to get a little more difficult to follow the flow of information, and the style moves from more of a "follow this step" to "here's the information you'll need to know". Much more abstract, and it will probably confuse a number of readers. I would have liked to have seen two or three examples of hosting services listed, as well as instructions on how to upload your site to them. I think that would have bridged the gap between theory and practical for the younger readers.
Overall, a nice book to give your kid if he's looking to establish an on-line site... He might even learn a useful skill or two in the process...
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