Two microchips named SOIC and SOT go on a journey through an electronics assembly line. From shipping boxes, through the soldering process, assembly and test, the chips learn about the world outside, and what they were born to do! The perfect picture book for our littlest electrical engineers and technologists to be. "Absolutely FANTASTIC. ...an in-depth yet easily-understood look at how computers are made; a powerful metaphor for growing up, leaving home, and finding your voice; a sweet story of how friendship can carry across distances. The illustrations are stellar, managing to make tiny bits of metal into sympathetic and adorable characters. And don't miss scanning the QR codes hidden throughout the art, which take readers to a website that explains the story's technology in more detail." - The Baby Bookworm "A fun and informative introduction to electronics manufacturing for all ages." - Ryan Flaherty, Surface Mount Technology Association International "I honestly enjoyed this story, it's just a perfect view on what really goes on in life when preparing a device for the world to use and how microchips are placed inside. Anyone can enjoy this book no matter if it's for the interest in STEM or just the story alone... The story really creates a great memorable experience of how friends miss each other and end up finding one another at the end." - Natosha Miller, Test + Try Results "It's a great way for kids to engage with the subject of electronics and find out what's involved in the entire process end-to-end... If you've got kids at home who would love to build their own flux capacitors [or] just love tinkering around with switches, buzzers, lamps and batteries, this is a must!" - Read It Daddy! "Our top toy this year [for the 2024 Purdue Engineering Gift Guide] is a children's picture book called 'SOIC & SOT: The Microchips,' which features two main characters who are microchips. They get separated during the manufacturing process and reunite later in the same household. It's a cute story that brings alive microelectronics in a fun way, while teaching children how microelectronics are created and how they work." - Tamara Moore, professor of engineering education who directs INSPIRE and SCALE K-12, a Purdue University Engineering Education research program dedicated to embedding microelectronics learning into K-12 schools and curricula. Jeffrey C. Dunnihoo is an electrical engineer with over 30 years of experience in semiconductor and system development. A young computer nerd in the early days of 8-bit home-brew computers and Fortran mainframes, Jeff has been awarded several patents and co-authored research papers and the "System Level ESD Co-Design" textbook. Jeff created SOIC & SOT to help children discover the "nuts-and-volts" within their toys and tablets, and not just play with them, but experience the adventure of what goes on inside. Jeff is from Texas. He's a rancher, classic car nut, writer of software and fiction (never at the same time), builder, sculptor, inventor and most of all, a husband and dad. Simona M. Ceccarelli has never donned an ESD suit, but she has worn a labcoat for many years. As a professional artist, she now mixes colors instead of chemicals, but the taste for science and technology often leads her to projects that stride art and science. Simona won the 2017 Portfolio Showcase Competition at SCBWI's Europolitan Conference. Simona lives in Switzerland, where she illustrates books and other products for children, raises some of her own and tries to keep the sense of wonder forever alive.