BOSTON, Oct. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Swedish-based authors Johan Wendt and Tor Moström, in partnership with leading US cybersecurity firm Cylance, are helping to narrow the STEM skills gap with their first-in-a-series educational book for children: Curly Bracket -- The Hidden Code. The graphic novel – part comic book, part textbook – helps kids solve problems using computational thinking, a key building block for 21st Century learning. The authors are turning to parents, educators and STEM advocates in the U.S. to bring the book to market through a Kickstarter campaign launching today, October 24: http://kck.st/2dY6vRs. Future books in the series will be available next year.
Curly Bracket lets kids learn by example and by doing. Readers follow the main character, a girl named "Curly Bracket", as she problem-solves her way through a series of obstacles and challenges. Then, kids test their own skills via a series of exercises based on the story. The goal is to introduce children, ages 8-13, to computational thinking in a simple, fun way. First developed for Swedish audiences (and part of the curriculum in many schools there), the book seeks to help children develop the foundational, problem-solving tools they need to succeed at just about any subject, especially STEM-related fields like computer science, math, and engineering.
"We believe that everything starts with problem solving. If you give children the tools they need to tackle problems and think differently, it opens up their minds and gives them an amazing advantage in an increasingly competitive world," says Johan Wendt, creator of Curly Bracket. "The computational thinking skills shared in Curly Bracket not only help kids break down problems they also help them recognize patterns and trends, make data-driven decisions, and communicate more effectively. We've seen first-hand how effective this can be and we are excited to share it with kids, parents and teachers in the States. Kids don't need to grow up to be a programmer or coder, they just need to learn to think like one!"
Backers to the crowdfunding campaign have the option to get the digital or physical copy of the book at Kickstarter-exclusive prices, with school and corporate packages also available — ideal for bringing Curly Bracket into the classroom. The funds raised from the upcoming Kickstarter campaign will be used to cover the costs of artist licensing, publishing and shipping to the US.
Kickstarter dates:
Monday, October 24 – Tuesday, November 22
Estimated delivery date:
December 2016
RRP:
$20 USD
About Johan Wendt A social entrepreneur, educator, author and lecturer, Johan Wendt is also a long-time advocate of children's education and is the founder of nonprofit Mattecentrum — Europe's largest after-school program, tutoring approx. 1 million kids per year. He also founded Kodcentrum, a nonprofit specializing in coding education for young people. Johan created Curly Bracket with Tor as a means of helping young kids learn computational thinking, the cornerstone of problem solving. His accolades to date include Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011, being named an Ashoka fellow, and the Sollos award for entrepreneurship.
About Tor Moström Tor is an award-winning coding expert and developer in Sweden. He previously collaborated with Johan to build the Mathbook website — the largest study website in Sweden and Denmark, and part of Mattecentrum. The two recently joined forces to bring Curly Bracket to life and have continued their partnership since.
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