For beginner scripters - especially those wanting to work with graphics - I found the book “JavaScript & jQuery - The Missing Manual” (by David Sawyer McFarland, 3rd Edition O’Reilly), to be an excellent intro to these topics - available here. (I have the Second Edition the 3rd seems to be just as well received).
The general thrust of the book is aimed at designers creating interactive pages with visual effects.
It is 500 pages with the first hundred or so dedicated to JavaScript. Those 100 pages are concise & well written - lots of examples, the author does not overwhelm You, yet he provides a solid core to advance to the “next level”.
The following sections introduce jQuery & show You how to add interactivity to your pages, along with more advanced JavaScript instruction & strategies - again lots of easy to follow examples.
One of the best “Intro” computer books I’ve ever read - highly recommended.