From Bob McKinnon comes this modern retelling of the beloved classic, Little Engine that Could, that asks young readers, “How does your journey differ from others?” It also serves as a thank you letter to all the parents, teachers, role models, and even strangers, who help to clear the storm or pull the tree trunk from their track.
Available in your favorite bookstores.
Have you ever asked yourself this question? Or wondered why your life turned differently than you expected or from others you know. On this site, you’ll find tools, writing and podcast episodes that explores this question and others. Watch Bob’s TEDx talk to learn about his journey and the science behind how we see our lives and those of others.
Children’s Books
I think I can, I think I can, I think I… can’t? What’s an Engine to do when even believing in yourself won’t get you to the top of the mountain? In this modern retelling of the beloved The Little Engine That Could, The Little Blue Engine and her friends attempt to reach the town on the other side of the mountain, but they quickly realize that not every engine is on the same track, and they all face different obstacles in their journey. In Three Little Engines author Bob McKinnon asks young readers: How does your journey differ from others?
While paying homage to the beloved classic, author Bob McKinnon acknowledges that although positive thinking and confidence are important, they are not always enough to help you succeed. In many instances, success requires a helping hand. This book is a gentle introduction to the idea of socioeconomic mobility and inequality in America. Heavily inspired by his own experiences, McKinnon teaches the youngest of readers how to recognize opportunity and inequality in the American Dream, and, most importantly, how to extend a helping hand to those on different tracks of life. At its heart, Three Little Engines is a thank you letter to all the parents, teachers, role models, and even strangers, who help to clear the storm or pull the tree trunk from your track.
Three Little Engines is now a New York Times best seller! Order your copy today from your favorite online bookseller or your local bookstore:
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Newsletter
Easy
Easy is a word that we throw around maybe a little too often. Once we have mastered a task whether learning to tie our shoes or solving an algebraic equation, its familiarity can make that task second nature to us. Our instinct when teaching or trying to help others with that same task is to tell them reflexively, “it’s easy.”
This well-intentioned remark designed to encourage someone to try something that may seem daunting can actually have unintended consequences.
If someone struggles with a task we label as easy, it can actually be demotivating, demoralizing and damaging to one’s confidence. Making us question ourselves; “If it’s so easy and I can’t do it – what does that make me?”
I heard this fact at our Social Mobility Lab Summit this week, as the President of City College of New York, Vince Boudreau, used it as an example of “things we can do” to apply research in service of improving a person’s odds of success in life.
Rather than calling something easy (because it may be for us now), it would be more helpful if we instead shared more about our own learning journey. Perhaps saying, “I struggled with it at first but was able to figure it out.” Or reminding ourselves and others that our ease with something was the result of someone first helping us out and the fact that we have now been doing it for a while.
Learning almost anything in life requires effort, focus, repetition, patience, perspective, and encouragement. It also often includes failure and struggle. When we reduce our own learning story to, “I learned how to do that, it was easy,” we do a disservice to ourselves and others.
After all, no one nailed tying their shoes the first time around, let alone algebra.
This Week’s Recommendation: If you need another reminder about what you were like when you were young and learning, listen to Miley Cyrus’s song, Younger You. It is a simple song with a powerful message.
Consider sharing this with a friend who might be struggling with learning something.
Monday Morning Notes
Delivered to your mailbox each Monday morning, these short notes offer an opportunity each week to reflect on who and what contributes to where we end up in life. Readers tell us it’s a great way to start their week on a positive note. See the latest note below:
Easy
Easy is a word that we throw around maybe a little too often. Once we have mastered a task whether learning to tie our shoes or solving an algebraic equation, its familiarity can make that task second nature to us. Our instinct when teaching or trying to help others with that same task is to …
Attribution with Bob McKinnon
Attribution is a podcast, where people from all walks of life, reflect on who and what has contributed to where they ended up. Our hope is after each episode, you feel a little more inspired, grateful, or supported, then when you first hit play. Check out the latest episode below:
Episode 35: Class Matters w/ Richard Kahlenberg
Richard D. Kahlenberg is an education and housing policy researcher, writer, consultant, and speaker. He is also Director of Housing Policy and Director of the American Identity Project at the Progressive Policy Institute. The author or editor of 19 books, his latest is Class Matters: The Fight to Get Beyond Race Preferences, Reduce Inequality, and Build Real Diversity at America’s Colleges. This was a deep and challenging conversation about class, race, higher education, affirmative action and social mobility.