The Most Magnificent Thing

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.

Author: Ashley Spires
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Published: 08/01/2013
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 9.10h x 9.30w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781554537044
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 2.9
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 164735 / Most Magnificent Thing


Award: Buckaroo Book Award - Nominee
Award: Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - Recommended
Award: Virginia Readers Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children - Recommended
Award: Black-Eyed Susan Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 01/27/2014
Quill & Quire 03/01/2014 pg. 35
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2014
School Library Journal 04/01/2014 pg. 136
Booklist 04/01/2014 pg. 94
Foreword 05/27/2014
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2014 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw
School Library Journal 02/01/2017 pg. 31

About the Author
Ashley Spires grew up in the Pacific Northwest, the supposed stomping grounds of Bigfoot. She is the author and illustrator of a number of books for children, including Small Saul and the Adventures of Binky the Space Cat. She was the recipient of the 2011 Silver Birch Express Award and the 2011 Hackmatack Award for Binky the Space Cat and was shortlisted for a Joe Shuster Comics for Kids Award and an Eisner Award for Binky Under Pressure. Ashley currently lives in British Columbia.

Ashley Spires grew up in the Pacific Northwest, the supposed stomping grounds of Bigfoot. She is the author and illustrator of a number of books for children, including Small Saul and the Adventures of Binky the Space Cat. She was the recipient of the 2011 Silver Birch Express Award and the 2011 Hackmatack Award for Binky the Space Cat and was shortlisted for a Joe Shuster Comics for Kids Award and an Eisner Award for Binky Under Pressure. Ashley currently lives in British Columbia.