Why Doesn't My Floppy Disk Flop: And Other Kids' Computer Questions Answered by the CompuDudes

For the best answers, coolest Web sites, and excellent cyber-activities, pick up Why Doesn't My Floppy Disk Flop? This lively, informative guide provides the answers to dozens of questions that you (and your parents!) really want to know. Combining their popular brand of humor with cartoon illustrations, sidebars, and tons of advice, the Compududes make all the learning seem like play. From the ins and outs of hardware and software to the best ways to take advantage of the Internet to the exciting future of computing, the answers and explanations in Why Doesn't My Floppy Disk Flop? are guaranteed to plug you in, log you on, and turn you into a computer whiz in no time!

Reviewed by Susan Hepler. Copyright @ 2000 Children's Literature. All Rights Reserved.


More reviews from Publishers Weekly, San Diego, etc.   September 8, 1999
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Publishers Weekly:

May 24, 1999

The anchors of the CompuDudes NPR radio show answer kids' computer questions in Why Doesn't My Floppy Disk Flop? by Peter Cook and Scott Manning, illus. by Ed Murrow. From definitions of words such as "bug" and "hyperlink" to tips about how to get peanut butter off a keyboard, the book provides comprehensible and useful answers to a wide range of queries.

From The Union-Tribune - (San Diego, CA):

May 11, 1999

by Suzanne A. Smith

Why Doesn't My Floppy Disk Flop? is an excellent first book about computers for children ages 8 and up. The authors, Cook and Manning, are better known as the "CompuDudes," hosts of a popular computing show for kids on National Public Radio. This book is a compilation of the most frequently asked questions they have received on the show.

Cook and Manning answer questions, from the simple ("what is my computer doing when I first turn it on?") to the more complicated ("what is a cable modem?"), to the humorous ("why don't they make computers in colors?"). The answers to these questions are technically accurate and written in a casual, patient style that is easy for kids to read.

The book also includes some fun, computer-related activities, such as making a CD-ROM mobile, writing a simple program in BASIC, and helping Mom and Dad plan the family summer vacation using the Internet.

A useful chapter at the end of the book is titled, "Good Computer Habits." Here, kids learn how to considerately share a computer with others, back up the hard drive, safely participate in chat rooms, and even how to clean the computer monitor.

This book is good for young children who have expressed an interest in learning more about computers. Mom and Dad may even learn a few things as well.

Forecast - (Bridgewater, NJ):

May 1999

Discusses the history of computers and explains their various parts and uses, hardware, software, the Internet, good computer etiquette, and their future, and includes sidebars which answer questions that were asked on the author's radio show. Original. Grades 3-4.


Here's a review from the St. Paul Pioneer Press Newspaper   July 15, 1999
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

From the St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press newspaper:

Monday, April 12, 1999

JEFFREY C. KUMMER STAFF WRITER

"......For a fun guide to computers in general, try, ``Why Doesn't My Floppy Disk Flop: and Other Kids' Computer Questions,'' by Peter Cook and Scott Manning, John Wiley & Sons. Besides being a handy reference for the kinds of computer questions that baffle kids (and adults, too), the book is packed with activities to help children learn more about computers."


Here's a review from MetroKids Newspaper, Philadelphia, Pa.   July 15, 1999
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

From MetroKids - Philadelphia, Pa.

June 1999

By Frank Lipsius

"Peter Cook and Scott Manning's Why Doesn't My Floppy Disk Flop? (Wiley, $12.95) shows why the books for kids may be the place to start, even for adults. With simple, straightforward language, the authors go through the basics of PC's (not Mac's) that most kids might know, but they have added information useful even to experienced computer users. For instance, one way to increase the storage area of your hard drive is to decrease the space set aside for the recycle bin. (Right click on the bin, go to "Properties" to find the sliding scale dedicated to the "Recycle Bin." This of course comes after the reminder to empty the bin on a regular basis.)

Sophisticated Enough

While going through the basics of using the computer, the authors suggest good habits while imparting information on BIOS, RAM, ROM and other aspects of computing that separate the informed from the novice. In a field where kids tend to know more than their parents, this friendly guide matches the kids' sophistication while covering all the bases. The book owes much to the authors' decade-long dialogue with kids as the CompuDudes on Kathy O'Connell's Kid's Corner nightly radio show on WXPN (88.5 FM). Columnists for MetroKids during formative stages, Cook and Manning prove that success is a tribute to diligence, foresight and a great sense of humor. Keep it up, dudes."