Ford: What Is a Car? Paperback by Julia Sooy; illustrated by Jesga Machado

Product Details

• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers (2026-08-25)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 32 pages
• ISBN-13: 9798217049042
• Item Weight: 85.05 grams
• Dimensions: 22.86 x 15.24 x 0.41 cm

From blueprints to production, learn how a car is created in this engaging leveled reader starring Ford cars!

How did the cars we know today come to be? And how do we make a car now? Read on to find out! 

Narrated by Ford's iconic Model T, this fun reader is full of playful illustrations and simple language, perfect for emerging readers who love cars.

For over a century, Ford has built automobiles, sports cars, and pickup trucks as well as the NASA Mission Control Center for the moon landing, and now they're ready to inspire young readers to be curious about the world and create a better tomorrow.

Reader Level 3: Level 3 is for Transitional Readers who are comfortable with multi-syllable and compound words. These books include more dialogue, different points of view, complex storylines, and are available in a range of genres.

About the Author

Julia Sooy learned how to drive in her dad’s Ford Taurus station wagon. She is the author of Our World Is Relative, illustrated by Molly Walsh, and Every Day, Chemistry, illustrated by Bonnie Pang. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, she now lives in New York City.

Jesga Machado is an illustrator born in Sorocaba, a city in São Paulo, Brazil, where she currently lives. She graduated with a degree in computer science but quit her programming career in 2015 to pursue her dream of becoming an illustrator. Since then, she has worked as a children's illustrator, creating artwork for textbooks, picture books, magazines, and board games for clients worldwide. Jesga is also the creator of a project called Ano do Amigo (Year of the Friend), which produced and sold table calendars for six years to raise funds for an animal shelter in Brazil.