The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires #KidlitReview @Netgalley @KidsCanPress

The Most Magnificent Thing is picture book worth reading time and again with our children even for us adults when we lose perspective. It sends the perfect message to the reader about not giving up and looking at the problem from a different point of view. Just set back and recharge before tackling a difficult problem that is stuck.

I was pulled into the book with the cover and blurb and immediately requested it. The book is not just a story about making something but learning as well. The girl tries to invent something, tinkering and planning as she goes about her task. Learning and play along with reading make a delightful trio in this book, The Most Magnificent Thing.

It is a simple story that can be a good guiding and motivating book for small children. I sat and read it to my son and we read it twice and talked about the pictures and all the little changes and activities the little girl was doing. Her cute, silly dog made the story funny and endearing. The furry assistant sure made a lot of things easy. Only now, my son is asking for his own assistant so he too can build ‘magnificent things’.

The illustrations are spot on, making it a delight for the younger kids to read as well. The pictures of the ‘magnificent thing’ they are making and its different version was a fun clue to figure out. We played the game together to try to find the exact thing they were making.

The Most Magnificent Thing has excellent narration and language and teaches a child and adults about creativity, challenges, and not giving up. Often we are told to ‘take a break’ or ‘see things from a different perspective. This book shares all this wisdom in a simple and rather cute manner.

A fresh, funny book full of wisdom. A perfect pick for an ideal gift book as well.

(I requested this book from KidsCanPress via NetGalley review is my own.)

BLURB

A little girl and her canine assistant set out to make the most magnificent thing. But after much hard work, the end result is not what the girl had in mind. Frustrated, she quits. Her assistant suggests a long walk, and as they walk, it slowly becomes clear what the girl needs to do to succeed. A charming story that will give kids the most magnificent thing: perspective!

Award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires has created a charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!? But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right.

For the early grades’ exploration of character education, this funny book offers a perfect example of the rewards of perseverance and creativity. The girl’s frustration and anger are vividly depicted in the detailed art, and the story offers good options for dealing honestly with these feelings, while at the same time reassuring children that it’s okay to make mistakes. The clever use of verbs in groups of threes is both fun and functional, offering opportunities for wonderful vocabulary enrichment. The girl doesn’t just make her magnificent thing — “she tinkers and hammers and measures, she smoothes and wrenches and fiddles, she twists and tweaks and fastens.” These precise action words are likely to fire up the imaginations of youngsters eager to create their own inventions and is a great tie-in to learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

Buy The Most Magnificent Thing @Amazon