My four year old is REALLY into cars. Stops at each we pass, has now memorized many makes and models. It’s a quirky interest for him to have so young, but I’d like to foster it because it makes him happy. Are there any kid car books that y’all have seen or liked that might be good?
Posted by chicano-superman@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 89 comments
Wishihadagirl@reddit
Die cast models are tons of fun to fiddle with. Can find his favorite brands and models. Doors and hoods open, wheels and steering can be turned.
interactive_broccoli@reddit
Go collect some brochures from dealers and take your kid for test drives. I loved brochures as a kid and recently bought the brochures for my cars.
I’m autistic engineer with an eclectic collection of classic cars :).
piggusing@reddit
Doug DeMuro on YouTube!
He goes into crazy detail on every part of so many cars he’ll love it
chicano-superman@reddit (OP)
Just saw our first DeMuro vid. He liked it!
En0-0n3@reddit
Your post made me go "awww!" - By your son's age, I had my own pair of overalls and was helping my dad take motors out of the many vehicles the family owned 😊. When dad passed away, I figured I had 2 career choices. Mechanics to fill the old man's shoes or teaching degree, I chose teaching (under 5yo's). Anyways, as a teacher with petrol in her veins who has taught children with similar superpowers as your boy, I suggest definitely getting a little toolbox & real tools sockets are great for numeracy learning & also have that cool sound, old car magazines to look through & cut up, make a matching game of different car emblems printed out & the idea of getting a small motor to tinker on from earlier is great too!
chicano-superman@reddit (OP)
Great ideas. Thanks for sharing. I want to show interest in what he’s interested in.
chicano-superman@reddit (OP)
This community is awesome. Thank you folks for sharing some really incredible ideas we’re gonna put to use. I already looked up the nearest cars and coffee meet up. Gonna pick up some books. We watched some YouTube vids today that he dug.
piggusing@reddit
Watch Doug DeMuro with him!
chicano-superman@reddit (OP)
Just watched our DeMuro vid together!
Aware-Watch-8580@reddit
Top gear, and the Disney car movies are a must watch!
plebisciteunite@reddit
Planes, trains and automobiles is a classic.
Puzzleheaded_Ride464@reddit
Maybe not advanced enough for him?
https://a.co/d/ga96rAi
dascresta@reddit
Road and track/ car and driver magazines
gumption_boy@reddit
Take him to the library and let him choose books about cars that look interesting to him, then read them as his bedtime stories
TopSale7706@reddit
When I was 3 my Grandma gave me a book called "Cars and trucks and things that go".
40 years later I still read it most days🙂
I am still disappointed that you can't get claw hammer cars and I have never seen a rabbit driving a lettuce with wheels.
I would recommend it to anyone 🙂
dagabag00l@reddit
Go to the local dealership and get some of the sales brochures. I was the same way as a kid and would get them to learn all the models. Ended up being a mechanic so something probably clicked really young.
Signal-Confusion-976@reddit
You should check to see if there are any car shows in your area. Most are free or very inexpensive to go to. I bet your child would love this and they might even meet someone who could mentor them in their love for cars.
Fluffy-Cycle-5738@reddit
I would like to make a side suggestion. If you are in the US (only because I don't know about other countries) find a local chapter of the SCCA or NASA (Sports Car Club of America or North American Sportscar Association (I think?)) and take your kid to some of the local Autocrosses. Most of the drivers there LOVE to talk about/show off their cars to kids, and it's free to watch (normally). Plus these are "mostly" stock/normal cars so they will be familiar, but driven in a more aggressive fashion. Also, car shows are generally free and you can normally find them everywhere. However, at a car show, it's generally strictly no touching. At an SCCA event, most folks will let you touch, look, sit in, hear them run, etc. just ask first, of course. And always check in with the group putting on the event, so that you can sign any waivers necessary.
KQ4DAE@reddit
Nasa also has rally stages where you can checkout the cars.
chicano-superman@reddit (OP)
That is a really cool idea. If he sees a car he’s never seen before, he often tries to get into the passenger side. He’s obsessed.
Fluffy-Cycle-5738@reddit
My local SCCA group routinely has anywhere from 40-90+ cars at events. You can look for Autocross or Rallycross (if there is a rally group in your area). I've seen everything from a Chevy Malibu, up to a McLaren at these, so should be a wide spectrum. I took my son to them when he was little and folks would let him climb in, try on helmets, etc. Sadly no ride alongs until they are old enough/big enough to sit safely in the front seat. Try to go as early as possible, so you can catch everyone in the pits getting setup/tech inspections. And hey, maybe you might catch the racing bug too!
123-for-me@reddit
Try a local auto ahow, pretty cool way to see a bunch of new cars from several manufacturers.
SirPigeon69@reddit
Introduce him to jags
acleverlie421@reddit
its time
mr2jay@reddit
https://www.amazon.ca/NOISY-Snails-Michael-J-Myers/dp/1482747049
This is the book I got for my nephew to try and get him into cars early.
Lifeshardbutnotme@reddit
Not a book but get him into old Top Gear. My parents would always put that on for me as a child and it's probably a big reason why I like cars to this day.
Competitive_Weird958@reddit
Oh neat! My child too is autistic.
chicano-superman@reddit (OP)
Yeah. My son was diagnosed almost two years ago. You never know what it is that will become an intense obsession, but for the past couple of months it’s been cars and keeping a mental ‘catalogue’ of makes and models and who in the family owns what.
The_Burt@reddit
Craigslist is always fun, my son and I will take a lap every once in awhile just to scratch the itch.
Competitive_Weird958@reddit
Oh man, I hope you didn't take any offense. I was just trying to make a joke, although with some obvious truth behind it.
My parents subscribed me to the Motor Trend magazine as a kid. Idk if it's even still a thing, but I kept them, catalogued them, made records of each car I wanted, etc.
Honestly you could try going to Barnes and Noble or similar book store and just check out the automotive book section, or magazine section in general.
Ok_Minimum8318@reddit
It is! As is car and driver. I have a collection of over 200 of the each
chicano-superman@reddit (OP)
No offense taken in the least. He’s a great kid, and has taught us so much, and made our life interesting and unpredictable. And when he gets into something new, I try to foster it. A while back it was roadmaps and globes.
404_no_data_here@reddit
You could consider pointing him towards YouTube channels like Junkyard Digs and Rebuild Rescue if watching videos is something he does as part of his entertainment. Taking him to car shows may also be a good idea.
Ok_Minimum8318@reddit
I’m not autistic, but I’m the same way. I just love cars, always have. Love working on them, driving them, washing them, being around them. My whole friend group is exactly this way. We love building car Lego sets (technic ones that take a lot of time to build), playing forza horizon or whatever new need for speed game comes out.
I’m currently a junior mechanical engineering student with aspirations to pursue something in the automotive field. Specifically vehicular design. I feel like that would scratch my itch very well (aerospace and defense contracting are ahead of that right now though)
Cars are fun and honestly a way of life. It is after all the second biggest purchase of your entire life (if you exclude education). They have so much personality from the color, to the curvature, to the sound… you name it. Cars really allow people to display who they themselves are. It’s something that’s shared among all car lovers. Regardless of if he’s autistic or not, he’s welcome with us. Anyone who wants to pick for him having an obsession with cars can suck a toe. They’ve got their own passions, he and I have ours. Take him to car shows, cars and coffee, anything you can. Let him have that fun. Ask him what cars are what as you pass by them. Try to learn them with him. Share that with your son. My dad used to drag race. I’ve grown up around these vehicles my entire life. It’s practically a part of me. I’ve been going to car shows and meets my entire life. Sharing that connection with my father is what’s made him be one of my best friends. He’s always someone I can talk to about it.
123-for-me@reddit
Used book sales from libraries might have some really cool books. I fell jn love with the herbie the love bug movies as a child, my first 4 cars were vw bugs, then a vw passat and vw atlas, even work involves vws, who knows where your sons interest will lead him.
TheGrizzlyNinja@reddit
I’m autistic, when I was young I used to walk a couple blocks to my local Chevy dealer and hang out just to see all the cars lol
Competitive_Weird958@reddit
I'd do the same. I still remember my first time seeing (recognizing) an F350. "Mom it's 100 more than an F250!!" I also built Legos obsessively.
Now my oldest is diagnosed autistic. Weird.
KeeganY_SR-UVB76@reddit
Well, yeah, it’s genetic. I’m autistic, my father’s autistic. Both into cars.
drake22@reddit
If you're both autistic 🤔
com487@reddit
This is the most real thing I’ve seen in a long time.
often_awkward@reddit
You know it's hereditary right? My wife was the one who took my youngest to get assessed. I had been diagnosed as ADHD autistic a long time ago. She came home with his assessment and a prescription for her assessment. 😂
All four of us. This is probably why we used to go to a museum with trains all the time when the kids were little and probably why I am an engineer at an oem closer to r&d than I am to production and so I still get excited when I see retail cars.
EvaDistraction@reddit
I’m so happy you posted about heredity, I didn’t want to come across as the a-hole bringing it up 😂 I too am AuDHD, as is my teen, and my husband is ADHD and we LOVE museums so much we plan vacations around them.
gimmedatgorbage@reddit
It might be a little young, but there is an abc book out there called T is for turbo.
throwawayyourfun@reddit
Same author has a few books out. Michael J. Myers. The Noisy Snails, The Whiney Supercharger, The Sideways Sliders, The Sprocket Rocket, and a Coloring Book are all available... you'll be out less than a hundo if you buy them all.
gimmedatgorbage@reddit
Looks like my daughter needs more books.
HAKX5@reddit
Give him some owner's manuals for some older cars. Maybe some repair/maintenance books, too?
Brusion@reddit
Car and Driver and Road & Track magazines. Tons of pages to flip through and pictures to look at.
hickhelperinhackney@reddit
That was my kid 20 years ago. Now he’s a professional working on classic cars that sell for six figures.
Just take your kid to car shows. YouTube has sooo many car videos. Books are harder to find but ‘how a car works’ stuff is all over.
bluzed1981@reddit
Well I absolutely love Car Science by Richard Hammond but that might be a bit old for him
slicklex@reddit
Cars and trucks and things that go was my FAVORITE book as a kid. My mom would read it to me all the time, I’m definitely a car guy and always have been. If he likes cars, please buy that book for him!!!!!
QuestStarter@reddit
Binge-watch some Top Gear with him
JungleBoyJeremy@reddit
Great idea! The adult will go right over the kids head and the simpler humor should land perfectly.
OP, start with the review of the Reliant Robin
Bleades@reddit
Yup he would be in heaven and it's a fun show for the whole family.
corporaterebel@reddit
My kid did this too. At 18 he thinks cars are stupid and pointless.
lol_camis@reddit
Video Games is what got me to learn a whole bunch of makes and models. I dunno if he's too young for racing games but no harm in trying
4X4NDAD@reddit
CarToons comic books and hot wheels! Model cars as he gets older.
BertoBigLefty@reddit
Get him a car magazine subscription! And then watch top gear together.
timothythefirst@reddit
It’s not a book but I bet he would like watching something like the Mecum Auto Auctions. They’re on tv but if you don’t have whatever channel it is, they have entire shows on YouTube (I haven’t had cable in years myself so I forgot the channel). A car comes up, they talk about it for a few minutes, it either sells or it doesn’t, then another one comes up and they talk about that one. Over and over again for a few hours. And it’s a wide variety of cars.
Or he might like just looking through some of the auto trader magazines that are really cheap at part stores or car magazines in general.
Echterspieler@reddit
Get him some auto repair manuals with lots of pictures. Even if he can't read yet he might like to look at the pictures. I used to do it as a kid
PolybiusChampion@reddit
Take him to local car shows. Most owners would be thrilled to answer his questions, and there are all kinds of shows every weekend in most cities. Facebook is a pretty good place to find them.
Mathguy_314159@reddit
There’s a whole Lego series for cars and race cars if he is into anything in particular. I know 4 may be a bit young for the small lego blocks but keep it in your back pocket.
EvaDistraction@reddit
Not sure where you’re located but look for automotive and racing museums near you. I’ve come across a handful over the years in pretty small towns, and they’re always pretty cool.
Quietus76@reddit
I'm assuming he's autistic. My son and I both are. He's going to get into collecting something. If he likes cars that much, he might enjoy building and collecting models. It's very possible he'll lose interest for no apparent reason. It's common. My son suddenly pivoted to robotics. I'm still into cars. I have a collection of classics.
reubensammy@reddit
Not a specific rec, but check out your library they’ll have tons of options for all reading levels. I know mine does, and judging by how many I’ve been refilling, I think your son has some kindred spirits in my neighborhood.
-Professor3@reddit
I think Top gear is age appropriate
ElectricTomatoMan@reddit
I did that. When I was four my dad would show off to his friends that I could name any car on the road. This was the early 70's, so it was a lot easier.
It-is-always-Steve@reddit
here’s a review by a kid of Car and Driver’s Big and Fast Cars:
kalelopaka@reddit
I was interested in cars from a young age, I had tons of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. The World of cars for kids might be a good choice.
Blazanar@reddit
I have no experience with cars and even less experience with kids but I say fuck it, harness his interest and start buying him Haynes repair manuals along with child focused books
I'll admit that they're super technical, but if he has shown any interest in reading or the more technical side of cars whatsoever, he may really enjoy them in a few years time.
johndennis566@reddit
I’ve got an awesome book about classic cars that my uncle gave me somewhere. It’s old so I’m sure you would need to find a used copy somewhere and I have no idea what it’s worth but as far as I know it’s nothing special. I’ll look around and see if I can find it and get you an author.
Serve_Bubbly@reddit
“If I Built a Car” by Chris Van Dusen and “The Old Truck” by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey were big hits around that age.
011011010110110@reddit
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry. i got it for my son a year or two ago and was flooded with memories of having it in my childhood. it's a classic.
Serve_Bubbly@reddit
Seconded. I custom printed small Goldbug vinyl stickers to put on all our cars’ windows. Hope some other kids on the road noticed over the years.
One_Mikey@reddit
I was gonna say Richard Scarry as well. The only time his books disappointed me, is when I tried putting one under each arm like wings, then tried to "fly" off of my coffee table. I didn't get hurt, but I really thought it was going to work.
011011010110110@reddit
absolutely would have worked for Lowly Worm
OddTheRed@reddit
I started off this way, too. The best thing you can do to foster this is to get him a broken engine and let him take it apart and put it back together. I started with a lawnmower engine. I got a book of small engine repair from the local library. I had that thing running in a week. Move from there to bigger and bigger things.
Hot_Elevator7800@reddit
My love of cars started with the "I spy" books, check them out
ApprehensiveSale8898@reddit
My Grandson, at 3 years of age, loved vaccums. At 4, he could breakdown and rebuild vacuums. At 5, he has 2 vacuums of his own, a Kirby, given to him buy a Vacuum Cleaner shop owner (his favorite store), A Bissell Powerforce Helix, and a Bissell Featherweight. While his house has a shark, a cordless, and several Roomba's I also have for him when he comes over, a cordless, a hand held, and a Bissell. He loves to vacuum. We watch vacuum vids on YouTube and he can tell you what the brand is of various vacuums. He doesn't like the vids of people purposely destroying vacuums. "Come on man!"
chicano-superman@reddit (OP)
That is an awesome niche interest. It’s incredible that we are in an age that he can have his choice of vacuuming videos.
series_hybrid@reddit
The Wikipedia article on orphaned marques is a rabbit-hole that could keep him busy for a while.
The Jay Leno episode on the Doble steam car was fascinating...
SerHerman@reddit
Beyond books and the obvious hot wheels toys, I wasn't much older than 4 when I started building scale model car kits. They have some clip together kids that are pretty good for littler kids.
Acceptable_Ad_667@reddit
Get him some car magazines addressed to him.
soup_t1m3_unhacked@reddit
do some digging to see if your local area does a cars and coffee. Its basically a chill gathering where people bring all types of cars to hangout and drink coffee on a nice weekend morning. its a great way to spend time with him on a saturday/sunday morning and he'll love seeing all the cars
chicano-superman@reddit (OP)
Love this idea. Especially with fall coming.
chicano-superman@reddit (OP)
These are all excellent suggestions. I’ll probably end up buying all these books.
Old-Sentence-1956@reddit
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a couple of illustrated children’s car books. “Buster’s Big Day”
dlax6-9@reddit
Not at all quirky! They still have Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, too...grab some Road & Track and Car & Driver mags, too
aspire1690@reddit
I’d recommend anything from ChrisFix, he does YouTube videos about fixing cars and also has books made for kids
LurpyGeek@reddit
https://carpegear.com/products/hardcover?variant=46257387470