Former Mid-State instructor publishes children’s book
By Patrick Lynn
Retired Mid-State Technical College instructor James Koehntopp stopped in at the Wisconsin Rapids campus on June 22 to sign several copies of his new book, “Hydraulics for Kids.”
The book is an introduction to the basic principles of hydraulics, written for pre-teen kids and teenagers, and will be distributed to all local school district libraries.
“Hydraulics for Kids” presents several hydraulics models that can be built using ordinary items sourced from a farm-and-home store, such as tongue depressors and syringes. Koehntopp personally designed and built all of the models in the book and even has some pre-made kits that can be purchased to supplement the lessons in the book.
Inspiration for writing the book first came to Koehntopp from a librarian in West Bend, who also happened to be his daughter. She mentioned a patron in the library who was looking for a children’s book explaining how hydraulics worked, saying, “Why don’t you write a book about it, Dad?”
Koehntopp spent the next couple of years contemplating the task of distilling down the concepts into language accessible to a 12-year-old. Finally, he began the process of codifying his thoughts, and with the help of friends, family, and some graphic designers, he was able to self-publish the book.
Koehntopp described the books as “an introduction, not a teaching book.”
“I want to get kids interested in these STEM areas, the mechanical stuff,” he said. “Some kids want to do things with their hands, not work on a computer. They don’t know that there are options.”
Koehntopp retired from teaching at Mid-State approximately 18 years ago, where he instructed in several areas, from diesel mechanics to fluid power to applied electronics. His journey to a career in higher education started with working on equipment for a local International Harvester dealer, followed by degrees from a technical college and a four-year institution in South Dakota. He then taught at a high school in Montana before coming to teach at Mid-State in 1972.
Koehntopp said during his career, his students were in a good place because there was a demand for their skills.
“I used to tell my students, ‘If you’re unhappy with your… working situation, pack up your tools—you will have a job the next day, because you will have the kinds of skills that companies are always seeking.’ We need to make sure that our young people understand what value there is in working with their hands,” he said.
Mid-State is providing signed copies of “Hydraulics for Kids” to the middle school libraries in its communities, with anticipated availability for students this fall. The book is also available for purchase now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart.com.