A review for the e-book Let's Make A Webpage from Motherboard Books.

I have been asked to review the e-book Let's Make a Web Page by Motherboard Books. Mmmm! Where should I start with this review? Honestly, I don’t know… Why? You might wonder. Simply because I personally have a background in Information Technology and my kids are too young to try this e-book. So I have decided to put myself in the shoes of someone who doesn’t know much about computer and on how to create a web page.

On the book, it is clearly written that it is intended for children ages 8-12 but we have had received a note saying that the preferred age group would actually be 10-12 years old. Mind you, I think it could depend on the interest of the child… No matter the age of your child, I think it would be wise to install an internet filter on your computer before allowing your kids to surf the internet (see http://www.internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/).

However, this particularly little e-book comes with the suggestion of using the free trial software called CoffeeCup HTML Editor. Why this one? Specifically because it is user-friendly and if you decide to purchase CoffeeCup then it can be done without spending a lot of money. Mind you, there is tons of HTML editor software on the market and I would try to find one that will be more convenient for what you would like to do.

Let’s Make a Web Page is a tutorial designed specifically with children in mind. While going through this tutorial, they will create a web page based on an interview they will have done including a picture and some animation collected from the Internet (the reason why I strongly suggest installing an internet filter on your PC).

The author of this e-book does indeed take you by the hand and guide you through the steps of creating a web page. First, she explains the reader how to prepare to take an interview. The person has to pick someone before hand and sit down with him or her to do the interview. The next step consists to download and setup the program that will be used to create the web page. The author also explains how HTML code works by introducing the student to the most basic tags to use. By following the steps that are presented in the document, the student creates a web page and modifies its content to make it attractive for future readers. The student will also learn how to include a picture, animations or sounds in the page. The author also explains how to include links at the end of the e-book. Finally, the last step is to post the work in Internet Explorer or any other web browser available on the computer of the student.

Personally, I learned HTML from the early days of its presence on the Internet. While I was in university I had built a little website (before the ages of facebooking and blogging) and was maintaining it periodically. This website is long gone but I still remember the basic coding. Also, our home business offers various products to our clients going from programming a database to creating a dynamic website. Consequently, it is a little easier for us to introduce our children to the programming world. However, this e-book is a good introduction for kids to the HTML code. The regular price for Let’s Make a Web Page is 29.99$ US but it is currently discounted as an introductory special of 19.99$ US. If you worry that you kids might fall behind in the computing area, consider getting this easy e-book to motivate them to create a web page. You can get this e-book on the MotherBoard Books website.