🦀 The Land of Rust – A Space Crab Teaches Kids (and Adults) to Code
A few months ago I started writing a Rust book for my own children – no dry syntax, no boring explanations. Just a story: a curious space crab named Ferris crashes his spaceship on Earth and has to talk to an old computer. The only language it understands is Rust.
Today I’m proud to share where this project has landed.
✨ What’s new (May 2026)
- ✅ 20 chapters fully written in Persian – from “Hello, World!” to a multi‑client chat room.
- ✅ English chapters 1–12 rewritten based on community feedback (parent sidebars, normalising complexity, “computer wizard” framing).
- ✅ A bilingual interactive web demo (MVP) – all 20 chapters, no installation, works in any browser. 👉 https://huvaxstra.github.io/land-of-rust/
- ✅ Detailed illustration prompts for ~100 images – ready for a professional artist.
- ✅ Sponsorship call open – to illustrate, translate the remaining advanced chapters into English, and add live Rust execution (WASM).
📖 How the book works
Every chapter is a step in Ferris’s adventure. Abstract concepts become tangible metaphors:
- Ownership = a toy borrowing club with clear rules.
- Borrowing = a library card instead of giving away the toy.
- Lifetimes = yogurt expiration dates (see Appendix A).
- Traits = clay molds that shape different objects the same way.
- Async = an underwater pearl farm (bonus chapter).
No prior programming experience is needed – just curiosity and a computer.
🎮 Try the interactive demo
The demo is bilingual (English / Persian) and includes all 20 chapters.
You can click through, read the code examples, and follow Ferris’s journey.
Live code execution is not yet implemented – that’s part of our next milestone.
🔗 The Land of Rust – Interactive Demo
🎯 What’s missing (and why I’m asking for help)
To turn the current MVP into a polished, world‑ready resource, we need funding for:
| Area | Cost estimate |
|---|---|
| Professional illustrations (~100 images) | $1,000 – 2,500 (essential) / $4,000 – 8,000 (full) |
| English translation of advanced chapters (13–20) | $800 – 1,500 |
| Full interactive platform with live Rust execution (WASM) | $10,000 – 25,000 |
Sponsorship tiers (Bronze $100 to Platinum $5,000+) are described in SPONSORSHIP.md.
If you or your company can help – or if you know someone who might – please email me directly: jgh.rust@gmail.com.
📚 Current status of the book (at a glance)
| Level | Chapters | English | Persian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner (9–11) | 1–4 | ✅ Complete | ✅ Complete |
| Intermediate (12–14) | 5–12 | ✅ Complete | ✅ Complete |
| Advanced (15+) | 13–20 | 📝 Planned | ✅ Complete |
| Appendices & Bonus | – | 📝 Planned | ✅ Complete |
All Persian content is already finished. The interactive demo is already working (static content).
🙏 Why I’m sharing this here
Dev.to has always been a home for thoughtful, passionate writing about code. I believe the best educational projects are built with the community, not in isolation.
If you’re a teacher, a parent, a developer, or a student – please:
- ⭐ Star the repo on GitHub – github.com/huvaxstra/land-of-rust
- 📢 Share the interactive demo with someone who might use it
- 💰 Sponsor the project or help us find sponsors
- 🐛 Open an issue if you spot a mistake or have an idea
💌 Final words
Writing this book has been the most rewarding technical project of my life.
My goal is simple: make Rust joyful for a 9‑year‑old, an absolute beginner, and anyone who was ever told “programming is too hard for you.”
Ferris the crab is waiting. The spaceship is repaired. The adventure continues. 🦀🚀
Jafar (huvaxstra)
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