Klutz books were a huge part of my childhood. I remember the Koosh book fondly (came with an eponymous Koosh ball, of course), as well as the Bubble book (came with a device you could use to make absolutely enormous bubbles). Recently got the "LEGO Contraptions" book for my son (comes with all the LEGO pieces you need to make everything in the book), and it's just as great as I remember the others being. If this post is the first time you've heard of them, I highly recommend checking them out!
The LEGO Contraptions book is great! About six or so years ago I got it for my 12yo son, and I honestly had as much or more fun with it than he did. I had never played with gears, so learning how they interacted and how the ratios worked, was enlightening to me. I ended up buying a set of LEGO Technic Idea books [1], then a massive crane set with motors, etc. just to keep playing with it all. Seriously, the amount of money I spent as a result of that one book is obscene.
