The first thing you’ll notice about Natalie MacLees’ jQuery for Designers […], is her gentle yet confident voice. She assumes very little experience with coding, but is never condescending or “cute” like some beginning tech books. Each chapter of JFD takes the reader/student through a collection of jQuery scripts that accomplish various tasks that one uses in the “real world”. From tarting up links, through slideshows and tabs to an excellent chapter on forms, she writes as if she’s sitting next to the reader offering patient guidance as you discover the power of jQuery.

Even for persons with little experience with web development the examples are easy to follow. Everything is explained in detail and all the code and plugins that are used in the book are available to the reader.

I found Natalie’s book very easy to follow and digest. I have had some prior experience with jQuery but I can see why this book would be very accessible for any non-programmer. The examples were clear and just detailed enough to be effective but not too extended. The step-by-step nature of the writing breaks the material up into bite-sized chunks and makes it easy to grasp. If you are looking for a book to learn jQuery by, you would not go wrong by choosing this book. It is complete, concise and conversational in tone. I recommend it without reservation.

This book is great for jQuery beginners, esp. if the only thing you know is html/css and are looking for some “recipes” for jQuery to plugin to your site. Overall the book is organized well, with “lab” type hands-on exercises that will help the reader understand the concepts. It is a book that is definitely geared towards designers, and not developers who might like to see more information on the Domain Object Model and the underpinnings of jQuery.

Great book for folks who are starting on jQUERY. The book is geared for designers but that shouldn’t discourage hard-core developers. Basic concepts are explained very clearly in a easy to understand language. Highly recommended!

“jQuery for Designers: Beginner’s Guide” is…just what the doctor ordered. I have been wanting to get a better understanding of jQuery and was a bit intimidated by its power. I was somewhat familiar with JavaScript after taking a class but I felt I had only scratched the surface with regard to it’s implementation.

As an absolutely beginner with no knowledge in JavaScript, I find this book highly valuable. I was able to follow step by step in an easy format. This 332 pages book was very detailed, thorough and had lots of examples. I highly recommend this book for beginners and/or those who is looking to freshen their skills. This book is definitely a keeper.

Natalie MacLees does a brilliant job of getting the momentum going and teaching you the essentials and best practices to make your way into this critical part of the web today. She doesn’t waste her time with diatribes, and instead focuses on teaching the fundamentals and critical time-saving methodologies — like employing plug-ins in your projects.

Natalie should be congratulated for making a potentially impenetrable and dry subject accessible to a novice like me. The author’s passion for the subject is clear, and despite their expertise the content is digestible without going either too slow or fast. Coders are often much better at making things work “under the hood” than making sites visually sparkle. This book provides an important bridge between code and cosmetics.

Natalie has done a good job without showing how smart she is. She is focused in explaining how JQuery works. I think it is the best book for beginners.