The idea of writing a book to help children understand coding concepts began when Yagazie’s school invited me to teach their pupils. The children were between six and ten years old. When I asked the school if there were specific topics they wanted me to focus on, the proprietress, Mrs Ekpe, simply handed me a book written by a Nigerian author. I tried to read it, and even as an adult I found it difficult to understand, let alone expect a child to follow it.
 

I have been teaching children coding successfully for more than a decade. However, most of the children I worked with were at least nine years old. I knew from experience that there are some coding concepts that are very hard to teach younger children because of where they are in their school journey. That moment in the school made something very clear to me: we needed learning materials that speak to younger children in a language and style they can actually enjoy and understand.

So I decided to research, listen, and create something different. I began to put together a book that teaches coding concepts through the power of storytelling. Yago is designed especially for children between the ages of six and eight, so that by the time they are nine and above they already have the right foundation and confidence to move into actual programming languages.

I worked on this book for three years. I tested it in real classrooms, with real children in Nigerian schools. I watched how they responded, where they got excited, and where they got confused. I kept adjusting the story, the illustrations, and the way the concepts were introduced, until the children could follow along, laugh, imagine, and still come away with real problem solving skills.
 

Yago is more than a book about coding. It is a book about who our children can become. I wanted children in Nigeria and across Africa, especially children of colour, to see names, faces, places, and stories that feel like home. Too many of the materials our children use are created far away from their reality. This book is for us, by us. It is written so that African children can see themselves as creators, inventors, builders of technology and not just users of other people’s ideas.

My hope is that children who grow up with Yago will not be afraid of coding or mathematics. I want them to see problem solving as something natural and enjoyable, and to believe from an early age that they can create tools, apps, and solutions that serve their communities, their country, and their continent. If we plant this seed early, we can raise a generation of African children who will build the products, companies, and innovations that the world will one day depend on.

My sincere thanks and deep appreciation go to Mrs Ekpe Azukaego, the Proprietress of Daatis Pride (in loving memory). Her kindness and the opportunity she gave me to teach coding to the pupils of Daatis Pride ignited the journey that led to this book. Her light will forever illuminate our hearts and her influence lives on in every child who opens Yago and believes that they can solve problems and change their world.