Hello Ruby

A children’s storybook series and a philosophy of how we teach computing.

The Beginning

Ruby is a small girl with a huge imagination. She solves problems, builds things, and asks questions that adults sometimes forget to ask.

Hello Ruby started as a provocation: what if the interface to computing was a storybook? In 2014, I launched the project on Kickstarter. I hoped to raise $10,000. We raised $380,000. It turned out the world was ready for a new narrative about technology, one that was playful, gentle, and designed for small hands.

Hello Ruby opens a small door into an opaque world. It treats children as thinkers and storytellers of technology, and computer science as a literacy — closer to reading than to keyboard skills. It is less about turning kids into coders, and more about helping them notice the invisible rules shaping their world.

Published in almost 40 languages, from Japanese to Farsi
Used in museums, embassies, libraries, and classrooms in over 40 countries
Featured in TED, Wired, The Guardian, TechCrunch, and more
A few personal favourite activities: What's Inside a Computer?, My First Computer, What do Computer Scientists think about?, Toothbrushing Algorithm, Who's Who?, Estimation

Visit HelloRuby.com →

Ruby looking through binoculars, standing on her computer companion

The Books

Hello Ruby is a small, growing world. Each book stands alone, but together they make a pedagogy and an aesthetic.

Adventures in Coding (2015): introduces the basics of computational thinking and programming logic
Journey Inside the Computer (2016): a tour of computer hardware from Ruby’s perspective
Expedition to the Internet (2017): teaches protocols, networks, and digital citizenship
Robot's First Day of School (2018): asks how machines learn, and what makes us human
Hello Ruby: A Very Big Computing Adventure (2020): an updated bind-up version of all four books

Formats & Ecosystem

Illustrations

Ruby and friends surfing the internet — a whimsical watercolour spread with memes, clouds, and internet culture

Ruby imagining a colourful map of code and computing concepts

Children learning to code in a classroom with Scratch on their screens

Children and robots exploring music, gardening, and play together

Ruby and her robot friend gardening with sensors and data

Hello Ruby: Robotti Koulussa book cover — Ruby and her robot at school

Hello Ruby's robot character with children waving in and out

Pedagogical DNA

The books are illustrated in a warm, hand-drawn style that invites both children and grownups in. Each story is paired with playful activities that stretch the concepts beyond the page into kitchens, playgrounds, and classrooms.

I also help teachers, schools, and cultural institutions teach computing in a way that feels human and playful. Learn more here.

Constructivism (Papert): Children learn by building
Montessori & Reggio Emilia: Hands-on, sensory-rich experiences
Storytelling: Every concept is embedded in narrative
Systems thinking: Computing is seen as cultural, ethical, material

From the Writing

Teaching

Papert's Principle On constructivism, computers, and what it means to learn by building.

On Drawing What's inside a computer? Draw it to find out.

Making

On Translation What happens to a children's book about computing in almost 40 languages.

15 Old Ideas for CS Ed Week Practical activities rooted in computing history for classrooms and homes.

Remembering

Beginnings The hundred languages of a child, and why I started writing these letters.