The Builders

Raise a builder.

Four true picture books about real American builders. In paperback, or free to read, each with a guide of hands-on experiments. Ages 5 to 9.

Blackbird coverRead it freeThe whole book and its guide, sent to your email.
Donald coverRead it freeThe whole book and its guide, sent to your email.
Elon coverRead it freeThe whole book and its guide, sent to your email.
Palmer coverRead it freeThe whole book and its guide, sent to your email.

Why parents pick them

True, and honest about the hard part.

  1. They're true. Every fact comes from real sources, listed in the back.
  2. They show the hard part, and how real builders fixed it.
  3. They get kids talking, with dinner questions for the whole family.
  4. They keep going after the last page, with a free guide of experiments to do together.
The Blackbird takes off, from Blackbird
The story
The sources page from Blackbird
The sources, in the back

Book 1

Blackbird

Nobody could catch it.

The true story of the SR-71 spy plane nobody could catch.

Look inside

Blackbird cover Page 1 of Blackbird Page 2 of Blackbird Page 3 of Blackbird Page 4 of Blackbird Page 5 of Blackbird Page 6 of Blackbird Page 7 of Blackbird Page 8 of Blackbird Page 9 of Blackbird Page 10 of Blackbird Page 11 of Blackbird Page 12 of Blackbird

To be continued

Read the rest of Blackbird, free.

The whole book and its experiment guide, sent to your email.

Get the whole book

Try it tonight

Make an “invent it” list

You need: paper, a pencil, and a toy that goes.

  1. Pretend your toy has to go ten times faster.
  2. List five things it would need.
  3. Put a check by each one that already exists. Put a star by each one you'd have to invent.
  4. Circle the hardest star and tell your grown-up how you'd start.

From the free Blackbird field guide.

Also in the free guide
  • Ice on black and white paper, in the sun
  • Solve a practice puzzle
  • Watch a metal lid let go
  • Hunt for missing pieces
  • Walk out a life-size Blackbird
Read Blackbird free

Book 2

Donald

The ice came in.

The true story of President Donald Trump, the boy who never gave up.

Look inside

Donald cover Page 1 of Donald Page 2 of Donald Page 3 of Donald Page 4 of Donald Page 5 of Donald Page 6 of Donald Page 7 of Donald Page 8 of Donald Page 9 of Donald Page 10 of Donald Page 11 of Donald Page 12 of Donald

To be continued

Read the rest of Donald, free.

The whole book and its experiment guide, sent to your email.

Get the whole book

Try it tonight

Graph your tower

You need: blocks or paper cups, a pencil, and paper. Build on the floor.

  1. Stack blocks one at a time. Count out loud.
  2. When it falls, write the number.
  3. Build two more towers. Write each number.
  4. Color one bar for each tower on a graph. Tower 1, Tower 2, Tower 3.

From the free Donald Fact Finder.

Also in the free guide
  • Freeze a mini rink and test it with a marble
  • Spread a floor in one go, then in two
  • Build a rink with thirty paper bills
  • Find who knows how
  • Sort the fact cards and hunt for an old penny
Read Donald free

Book 3

Elon

Most rockets only flew once.

The true story of Elon Musk and the team that caught a falling rocket.

Look inside

Elon cover Page 1 of Elon Page 2 of Elon Page 3 of Elon Page 4 of Elon Page 5 of Elon Page 6 of Elon Page 7 of Elon Page 8 of Elon Page 9 of Elon Page 10 of Elon Page 11 of Elon Page 12 of Elon

To be continued

Read the rest of Elon, free.

The whole book and its experiment guide, sent to your email.

Get the whole book

Try it tonight

Program a paper spaceship

You need: paper, a pencil, and a small paper square with a spaceship drawn on it.

  1. Draw a grid four squares wide and four tall. Letter the columns A to D, left to right. Number the rows 1 to 4, bottom to top.
  2. Put your ship on A1. Draw the alien freighter on D3.
  3. Run this program, one square per line: right, right, up, left, up, right, right.
  4. After each line, write the square where your ship landed.
  5. Write your own program to fly home to A1. Hand it to your grown-up to run.

From the free Elon field guide.

Also in the free guide
  • Sort what comes back
  • Straw rocket and try log
  • Balloon rocket on a string
  • Let the air back in
  • Chopstick catch
Read Elon free

Book 4

Palmer

He wanted a way inside the game.

The true story of Palmer Luckey, the teenager who built a better headset.

Look inside

Palmer cover Page 1 of Palmer Page 2 of Palmer Page 3 of Palmer Page 4 of Palmer Page 5 of Palmer Page 6 of Palmer Page 7 of Palmer Page 8 of Palmer Page 9 of Palmer Page 10 of Palmer Page 11 of Palmer Page 12 of Palmer

To be continued

Read the rest of Palmer, free.

The whole book and its experiment guide, sent to your email.

Get the whole book

Try it tonight

Make a spec card

You need: two things from a collection, a ruler and a pencil.

  1. Pick one thing that works well and one you'd change.
  2. Choose one feature to measure, like length or how many wheels.
  3. Measure that feature on both.
  4. Fill in the cards. Draw or say answers if writing is slow.
  5. Draw one change you'd make.

From the free Palmer field guide.

Also in the free guide
  • Find out what each eye sees
  • Fold a plane and test three versions
  • Balance three coins with one
  • Build big numbers from digits
  • Write a route out and back
Read Palmer free

Why I made these

My daughter came home from school and told me Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey were bad people who hurt children.

So I went looking for a picture book about what these men actually built. I found glorified Wikipedia summaries and corny moralizing. Nothing I'd hand my own kids.

If the book you want doesn't exist, make it.

So I did. My kids helped with the research. My son got a book about his favorite machine, the Blackbird.

Kids believe the first story they hear about a person. I want that story to be true, sourced, and honest about the hard part.

<3EKO

Start with any book

Pick your builder.

Blackbird Donald Elon Palmer

Paperbacks on Amazon. Every book is also free to read, with its guide.