Kit Tries Again: Oops! Almost! (Book 7)

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Book 7 of 20 in Kit's Little Sparks, STEM picture books for toddlers and preschoolers.

The story. On the garden path an ant drops its crumb, falls down the step, and climbs again. Kit watches. Then it is test day in the garage. Kit claps three times, and Sparks, a tiny fairy of gears and light, pops out of the old lightbulb. Kit's cardboard robot machine, with gears and a dial, wobbles, tips, and CRASHES. He takes it apart, carries the pieces to the bin, and says he is DONE. Sparks sits down on the bin lid. "Not yet." In roll two kids with a wagon, Sam and Suki, who LOVE a crash. Sam builds a block tower and crashes it on purpose, again and again. Each crash gets a number, an "OOPS!" from Sam and an "ALMOST!" from Suki, and their handshake, until Kit is laughing too. Suki looks at the pieces with her magnifying glass and asks which piece fell first. Kit fixes ONE thing, and this time it WORKS.

How you read it. Your child claps three times to wake Sparks. Before each tower falls, you ask "Will it crash?" Your child counts the crashes on their fingers, one to six. At every crash your child shouts "OOPS! ALMOST!" Then the two of you do Sam and Suki's handshake: a fist bump, wiggle your fingers, and throw both hands up for FIREWORKS. 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.

Building things can crash. The next step is trying again. Most of us have seen a child quit at the first crash. When Kit's cardboard machine crashes, this book gives your child a shout-along that scores tumbles: oops into almost into yes. It gives you two words: not yet. Not yet is not the same as not ever.

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 978-1-968470-13-5 (board book)
ISBN 978-1-968470-45-6 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-968470-86-9 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-968470-14-2 (EPUB)
ISBN 978-1-968470-64-7 (Kindle)