Book 3 of Kit's Little Sparks, a 20-book series teaching toddlers the inventor's mindset.
Kit and Sparks are walking again. The sun is bright. The grass is green. And then. Uh oh. Something is not right. A puddle of paint where there should be a flower. A door that will not close. A friend whose smile has gone away. Kit stops. Sparks tilts. They have just spotted their first problem.
Every invention in the history of the patent office started with someone noticing something was not right. The light bulb. The bandage. The wheel. Real inventors call this "problem identification." Toddlers call it "Uh oh!" Same skill, different vocabulary.
Book 3 introduces children to one of the most powerful lifelong habits: stopping at the moment something seems off. Before a child can fix anything, they have to be allowed to notice that something needs fixing. Kit's "Uh oh" face is intentionally exaggerated so toddlers can mirror it. The book ends not with a solution but with a question, which is exactly where every inventor's journey actually begins.
Illustrated in soft watercolor. Printed on sturdy board with rounded corners. Free read-along audio with consistent narrator across all 20 books. Free educator guide aligned to NGSS Science and Engineering Practices (specifically: "Asking questions and defining problems").
For parents who want their child to feel safe pointing out problems. For preschool teachers building problem-solving skills. For caregivers who want a vocabulary for the moment things go wrong.
Written by Chris Kuczynski, a registered patent attorney and preschool co-founder.
Become Problem Spotters together this week. On your next walk, give your child a pretend magnifying glass and look for problems to solve. A leaf out of place. A toy left behind. A friend who needs a hug. Book 4 will be about what to do with the feelings that come up when problems appear.