Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

Congratulations to Julie Darling and

D. J. Cools on the release of

Little Computer Scientists and

Little Hackers

How did you come up with the idea for your books?

D. J.: That was all Julie! Her vision for bringing computer science concepts to life for kids in a unique, inclusive way drew me in from the beginning.

Julie: This series was initially inspired by the Chris Ferrie STEM for babies, board books. When those first came on the market, I thought — these are fabulous! It made me curious how this idea of vocabulary and sophisticated concept building, for littles, could be combined with diversity and inclusion.

At around the same time I was reading some troubling research indicating that gender stereotypes start at ages 4–6 and can negatively impact girls' interest in computer science and engineering. Most computer science curriculum doesn’t start until age 8, because that’s what’s developmentally appropriate for the content taught. However, if you wait until age 8 to foster an interest in computer science, you’ve already lost a lot of your girls. We know that representation matters across the board, so we purposefully developed the 3-book set with a girl-heavy, diverse cast of characters.

The companion guidebook also provides a teaching resources for parents or educators, linked to the complete set of K-2 Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) standards. As a school librarian, I was also able to seek input about the picture book protagonist, character design, from my students (they universally loved Zuri’s rainbow shirt), and field test the games, activities and songs in the guidebook.

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your books?

D. J.: I hope readers will come away from reading our books with a strong sense that computer science and the wonder of technology is available to everyone. And that it’s fun, useful, and sometimes, even magical.

Julie: Same. That computer science is for everyone. It’s creative and powerful. It’s a tool that can make things more interesting and exciting.

Will you walk us through your creative process working together?

D. J.: After reading through Julie’s manuscript, I immediately began imagining what it would be like to ‘fly’ through the story, almost as if I could hitch a ride on a drone to zip around the characters as they interacted in their environment. It was an interesting challenge to come up with a concrete way to visualize abstract concepts in story form…

I shared first thumbnails, then black and white roughs, then ink, then color with Julie. We discussed (and revised) character design, visual angles, backgrounds, and details every step of the way. It was truly a team effort.

Julie: I started with a rough sketch of an idea for the books, knowing that my picture books would need a thoughtful, talented illustrator. When I saw D. J.’s work, I knew he’d be a good fit for these. D. J. gave me feedback on my writing, throughout the drafting process. In return, I provided feedback for the illustrations, based on my own design thoughts, and input from my students. Although we did have a few compromises I’ve been delighted with the results. I feel like the books capture exactly what I had envisioned.

What inspires you to write/illustrate?

D. J.: I am inspired by more things than I can count! Since my earliest memories I have been drawing and creating visual artifacts, and my environment and media exposure at any given time played a huge role at every stage of my artistic development. Early on, I was deeply influenced by 1960s and ‘70s book illustrations, as well as animated Disney movies and vintage cartoons. Later, the drama of comic books and anime colored my work.

I draw, write, and create as a way of understanding the world and processing my feelings and new information I encounter. I am moved by so many things in life, and I am wildly curious about everything. I treasure and nurture this sense of wonder about the world, about people, the whole cosmos—and I express that through many artistic outputs.

Julie: I’m inspired by my students and my daughters. I contemplate what I can put out into the world that is fun, inspiring and helpful, for them.

What's next for you?

D. J.: I am revising a stand-alone novel and working on a three-part Solarpunk book series. I am also making (slow) progress on a few picture books and forever attempting to get better at making art in general.

Julie: Good question! I have a few tech-infused projects in the works. Lately, I’ve been immersing myself in A.I., teaching educators some effective uses for these tools. At the same time, I've been thinking about the question — what happens if the A.I. gets out of control. It feels like right now we’re barely holding it by the tail. Exploring that would make for an interesting, albeit perhaps terrifying, YA novel.

More about the books . . .

Little Computer Scientists

Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, Little Computer Scientists is a whimsical exploration of computer science concepts for kids! Join a group of amateur coders as they work in binary, debug code, use HTML to build a website, and even create a LAN to game together. Using a captivating story and a diverse cast of characters, this picture book will introduce children to pertinent vocabulary and essential concepts needed to inspire an interest in computer science.

Little Hackers

When Grandpa’s computer falls victim to malware, it’s up to Zuri to save the day! Using an engaging story with beautiful illustrations, this picture book makes it easy to introduce your child or student to basic computer science concepts and vocabulary. While being entertained, children will learn the difference between black, white, and gray hat hackers, how to identify malware, how to create secure passwords, and more!

Embark on a delightful exploration of computer science and ethical hacking concepts through the eyes of a precocious young child!

Companion Guidebook: Supporting the Development of Computer Science Concepts in Early Childhood: A Practical Guide for Parents and Educators provides a solid understanding of computer science that sets your early childhood learner up for success!

The guide provides ways to introduce vocabulary, games to reinforce concepts, and printable activities that help early childhood learners understand computer science in an engaging, age-appropriate way.

This comprehensive guide covers the foundation of computer science (integrating the Computer Science Teachers Association K-2 standards) and includes information about binary, ciphers, using the command line, programming languages, sequencing, the basics of how computer systems and networks work, what hacking is, how to avoid phishing, and how to be a good digital citizen and stay safe online.

Publisher: Routledge

More about the author and illustrator . . .

Julie is a teacher/librarian from Michigan. She has a Master of Science in Information from the University of Michigan and is a Raspberry Pi certified educator. Julie’s been a featured speaker at a variety of conferences and events including ISTE, A2 SummerFest, CSTA's National Children’s Book Week and the Make:cast podcast. When she isn’t working in the library or writing, Julie likes to read, hike, explore new technology and spend time with her family, two cats, and one dog, who also thinks he’s a cat.

Website: https://authorjuliedarling.com/

X: https://x.com/julielibrarian

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjuliedarling/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/authorjuliedarling.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJulieDarling

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorjuliedarling

D. J. grew up in rural Washington State and used to be a car mechanic. He studied under Victoria Jamieson (Roller Girl, When Stars Are Scattered) and co-founded a picture book summer camp for middle school students. He was a Featured Illustrator on The Mitten blog and occasionally volunteers with 826 Michigan and YpsiWrites. When D. J. isn’t designing at his day job, he likes to mountain bike, read, run, write spooky fiction, and spend lots of time with his beloved, adventurous family.

Website: https://darrencools.com/

X: https://twitter.com/darrencools

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d.j.cools/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/darrencools.bsky.social