Purdue University

TOP 10 Gift in 2019 & 2021 Engineering Gift Guides

Abby Invents the Foldibot

Abby and her brother Miko set out on their quest to create a folding machine to help their mother with the laundry. Book (Signed!) can be purchased on the author's website.

Abby Invents the Foldibot is a book written by Dr. Arlyne Simon and illustrated by Diana Necsulescu for ages 4-9. The children follow all the steps of the engineering design process to create a functioning machine including interviewing stakeholders, conducting research, brainstorming, and following through on the iterative design process. The children’s machine doesn’t work on the first try and they must go back and redesign their machine until it works, introducing children to the concept of iterative design. Engineering design and prototyping is a long and complicated process, and Abby Invents the Foldibot breaks down every step into concepts that children can easily comprehend. The book teaches children the value of perseverance and teamwork, while also introducing engineering principles and tools such as engineering drawings and patents.

The incredible detail of engineering design combined with the fun story and colorful illustrations make Abby Invents the Foldibot a great choice for children of a variety of ages!

Framework Categories

Processes of Design (POD)
Engineering Tools and Processes (ETool)
Issues, Solutions, and Impacts (ISI)
Engineering Thinking (EThink)
Communication related to Engineering (Comm-Engr)
Teamwork (Team)

Moore, T.J., Glancy, A.W., Tank, K.M., Kersten, J.A., Smith, K.A., & Stohlmann, M.S. (2014). A framework for quality K-12 engineering education: Research and development. Journal of Precollege Engineering Education Research, 4(1), 1-13.

See full gift guide here.