Kit Makes It Better: Fix One Thing at a Time (Book 8)

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Book 8 of 20 in Kit's Little Sparks, STEM picture books for toddlers and preschoolers.

The story. Kit built a cardboard machine with a spot on top to hold his little sister Mia's juice. It works. Mostly. Kit notices three things: the tape is peeling, the corner is bent, the juice box leans. Then Mia calls from the kitchen. She is on her way with her juice, full to the top, and the machine has to be READY. Three fast claps wake Sparks, the tiny fairy of gears and light who sleeps in Kit's old lightbulb, and she zooms out to help. Kit panics and fixes everything at once, more tape, more cardboard, MORE, and makes it WORSE. Now the juice box does not fit at all. His friend Devi rolls up the driveway with steady hands and sharp eyes, looks for a long time, and finds ONE thing to fix. Pull off one strip of tape. Test it. Fold the bent corner flat. Test it. Add a flat piece of cardboard under the bottom. Test it. Mia arrives, sets her juice in the machine, bumps the table, and nothing spills.

How you read it. Your child counts the three problems with Kit, one, two, three. Your child claps three times, fast, to wake Sparks. Your child walks two fingers down the hallway with Mia, step, step, slosh. Each time the book asks "Does it wobble?", your child answers before you read on. Your child holds up one finger with Devi and shouts "Fix ONE thing! Test it!" At the end your child makes a fist and bumps the table, the way Devi tests the machine. The story runs about five minutes aloud. After it comes a short talk page for the two of you, with one question to ask and one line to say together.

After an invention works comes the next part: making it better, one tweak at a time. Most of us have seen a child fix it all at once and make it worse. When Kit's sister brings a full cup, this book gives your child a march, step, step, slosh, and one question: does it wobble? It gives you four words: fix one, test it.

What is inside:

• 28 pages of story and activities: the story, a talk page for parents, one activity page, and six play-together games, each with its own picture
• Full-color watercolor illustrations
• A note for parents and educators
• A QR code to free read-aloud audio and a printable family activity booklet

About the series: Kit's Little Sparks is a 20-book series of STEM picture books that builds the social-emotional foundations of the inventor's mindset: curiosity, resilience, and confidence. Written by Chris Kuczynski, an engineer turned patent attorney, preschool co-founder, and dad who has spent more than 20 years with inventors.

Read the complete guide to all 20 books in the series: STEM Books for Toddlers

Details:

Ages: Series One, Ages 2 to 4

Format:
Board book, 7 x 7 inches
Hardcover, 8 x 8 inches
Paperback, 8 x 8 inches

Pages: 28

ISBN 978-1-968470-15-9 (board book)
ISBN 978-1-968470-60-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-968470-87-6 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-968470-16-6 (EPUB)
ISBN 978-1-968470-65-4 (Kindle)