Arduino is an open-source piece of hardware that utilizes its own easy-to-use programing language and software. It comes in the form of a circuit board that uses a number of microprocessors and controllers to read inputs and create outputs. These kits can be used to build a wide variety of interactive devices. Programming Arduino: Getting Started with Sketches, by Simon Monk is an excellent primer for the device, complete with a rudimentary chapter on C programming and additional chapters about functions, arrays, strings, input and output, storage, and displays. This is an accessible beginner’s guide to the device; more advanced users should consider Monk’s Programming Arduino Next Steps: Going Further with Sketches.
Getting Started with Arduino, by Massimo Banzi and Michael Shiloh, provides a solid introduction to the open-source hardware and software that allows Arduino users to prototype new items. This third addition adds new chapters on Arduino Leonardo and a project that utilizes much more complex circuitry and programming. As with other books in the “Make:” series, this one includes an accessible handbook that will teach beginners and serve as a sourcebook for those ready for more complicated projects.
Programming Arduino Next Steps: Going Further with Sketches by 
