Books with author Christopher Hardy

The fun way to introduce coding with Ruby to kids If you don't have the chance to take coding classes at school or in camp—or if you just want to learn on your own—Ruby For Kids gears you up to expand your technology skills and learn this popular programming language. Written in a way that's easy to follow—and keeping the super tech-heavy stuff to a minimum—it quickly and easily shows you how to use Ruby to create web and mobile applications with no experience required. Ruby is considered one of the best and simplest languages to start with when you're learning coding. This fun and friendly guide makes it even easier. Broken down into simple projects designed to appeal to younger programmers, Ruby For Kids gets you up and running with core coding concepts in no time. Before you know it, you'll be tackling hands-on projects, enjoying the support of a vibrant community, and feeling a sense of accomplishment as you complete projects. Navigate the basics of coding with the Ruby language Use Ruby to create your own applications and games Find help from other Ruby users Offers tips for parents and teachers helping kids learn Ruby So what are you waiting for? Ruby For Kids has everything you need to get in on one of the most popular topics around!

It’s a dream come true for every would-be manga artist: a sketchbook that not only gives them ample room to draw, but expert guidance that will improve their technique and understanding of the form. That’s what Chris Hart provides in his new Manga Mania series, devoted to fantasy, the overwhelming style of choice among fans. It’s beautifully and smartly designed, with eye-catching covers, archival quality drawing paper, and step-by-step instructions on how to create memorable super-powerful heroes and heroines. Hart goes through full-body construction, hand and foot poses, and action expressions. And creates such characters as a girl sci-fi fighter, samuri, manga-style faerie, magical defender, a possessed magic unicorn, and a beautiful, wicked vampire lady!

The blame game, with its finger-pointing and mutual buck-passing, is a familiar feature of politics and organizational life, and blame avoidance pervades government and public organizations at every level. Political and bureaucratic blame games and blame avoidance are more often condemned than analyzed. In The Blame Game, Christopher Hood takes a different approach by showing how blame avoidance shapes the workings of government and public services. Arguing that the blaming phenomenon is not all bad, Hood demonstrates that it can actually help to pin down responsibility, and he examines different kinds of blame avoidance, both positive and negative. Hood traces how the main forms of blame avoidance manifest themselves in presentational and "spin" activity, the architecture of organizations, and the shaping of standard operating routines. He analyzes the scope and limits of blame avoidance, and he considers how it plays out in old and new areas, such as those offered by the digital age of websites and e-mail. Hood assesses the effects of this behavior, from high-level problems of democratic accountability trails going cold to the frustrations of dealing with organizations whose procedures seem to ensure that no one is responsible for anything. Delving into the inner workings of complex institutions, The Blame Game proves how a better understanding of blame avoidance can improve the quality of modern governance, management, and organizational design.

Basic tips on drawing monster faces, heads, and bodies are followed by pages and pages of grinning, gurgling, gruesome monsters, from chibi—style cutie—pies to one—eyed, drooling ogres. And each one is easy to draw, because Christopher Hart uses just four simple steps, highlighting the new lines in each, to "build" his monsters. Kid—tested and teacher—approved, Xtreme Art: Draw Manga Monsters is fun, entertaining, and even a little (shhh!) educational—great for car trips, school vacations, or any time the kids have been monstrously good...or just plain monstrous. • Great price point!• Manga is hot - and Xtreme Art gets kids drawing manga fast• Super-simple instructions show how to draw each monster in just four steps

Of all the forms of manga, shoujo is the one directed almost entirely at girls. Many—though by no means all—of these stories focus on romance, have flowing, very pretty art, and highlight characters with youthful charm and huge, glistening eyes. So this sketchbook will attract a huge female audience eager to find out how to draw key elements of the style. They’ll quickly master such features as a “pretty girl” head, a Shoujo boy figure, beautiful Shoujo eyes, the most popular manga hairstyles, and stylish outfits. Finally, kids will learn how to create Magical Girl characters complete with monster mascots.

<div><div><div>One of today’s most popular trends in cartooning is the eye-catching teen adventure style—the type found in such major animated TV shows as Kim Possible. It’s fresh and new, decidedly humorous, and even relatively easy to draw. With this fun collection, bestselling author Chris Hart gives kids a chance to create their own. These cool stories feature ordinary teens thrust into thrilling situations—teens with dual identities, who live as regular students by day and become secret spies on weekends. The art straddles the line between comic book and cartoony; offers strong male and female heroes; and showcases a colorful cast of sinister villains and entertaining sidekicks. These exuberant characters will encourage readers to replicate every drawing in the book—as will Chris’s trademark friendly, personal, and thorough coverage of art principles.</div></div></div>

A child's guide to drawing angels, elves, fairies and more. It contains step-by-step instructions and the lessons progress incrementally, starting with the basic head shape and anatomy and continuing through a wide range of stretching and action poses and with a variety of facial expressions. The volume also discusses how to infuse drawings with personality to make figures come to life.