Way back, when I was four or five years old, my mother was scouring our local library’s annual book sale to find me some bedtime reading material.

(Image/OnAllCylinders)

Among the titles she pulled out of the discard bin was a tattered old book called “What Makes It Go, What Makes It Work, What Makes It Fly, What Makes It Float?” by author and illustrator Joe Kaufman. Originally printed in 1971, it was part of a series of educational books written by Kaufman, geared towards children aged from about five to 10 years old.

The book is packed with large, vibrant pictures done by Kaufman himself, each one accompanied by a thorough description of an electric or mechanical device, be it a record player, cruise ship, or washing machine.

The exact copy my mom bought had been a library discard, and came complete with ripped pages, a sagging cover, and scribbles from past readers—in the years since, it’s been glued, taped, and glued again as I share it with my boys. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

For a young lad already obsessed with cars, trains, and motorcycles, it was love at first sight. I pored over my copy daily, being particularly enamored with the large, full-spread cutaway illustrations. (And with almost 100 oversize pages, the book didn’t skimp on the details either.)

But the best aspect of this book—and the reason it’s relevant on an automotive blog here—is how well it actually explained how things really did work.

So practically through osmosis I was learning what a carburetor does, how gear reduction helps a car move, and how a steering rack turns the wheels.

how a car works, as explained to a child
Here’s how Kaufman explained how a car works using (mostly) common household objects. Its delightfully simple approach belies how clever and accurate this representation really is. You can click on this picture for a larger image if you want to read each caption. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

I may have not realized it then, but my brain was processing advanced engineering concepts simply due to the straightforward, intuitive way in which they were presented. And though we’re focusing on the automotive facets here, the book covered a gamut of topics, from radio waves to rocket ships, musical instruments to air conditioners—undoubtedly attracting the attention of would-be electricians, aerospace engineers, and musicians too.

Kaufman didn’t focus on just the top level, major systems either. The book breaks down smaller components too, like how windshield wipers work, for instance. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

Fast forward a few years, once I began wrenching with my dad in the garage, the parts we were fixing all seemed familiar. Pretty soon after that, I had embarked on the gearhead hobby for myself, messing with vintage motorcycles and replacing whatever parts fell off my old station wagon during the previous week—subconsciously drawing upon knowledge originally gleaned from this book.

Even nowadays, as an automotive writer, I see myself trying to mimic Kaufman’s knack for explaining things in such a clear, easy-to-follow way (with limited success, of course).

Published in 1971, the book was already over 10 years old when it got into my young hands, so even then, all the pictures feature charmingly dated machines—not that a Honda Scrambler-inspired motorbike is a bad thing, mind you. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

So if there’s a point to all this, don’t underestimate the power of a good book. Even as adults, a solid piece of automotive reference literature can be a powerful asset in a garage or workshop.

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…And for those of us with young kids at home, don’t be afraid to dig through the discard bin at your local library either.

Kaufman did include (relatively) realistic illustrations too. Here’s a picture he made explaining a manual transmission gearbox and shifter mechanism. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

Keywords
Books, Literature
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Author: Paul Sakalas

Paul is the editor of OnAllCylinders. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him fixing oil leaks in a Jeep CJ-5 or roof leaks in an old Corvette ragtop. Thanks to a penchant for vintage Honda motorcycles, he spends the rest of his time fiddling with carburetors and cleaning chain lube off his left pant leg.