Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ages: 4 – 8 years
I want to say I loved this book because it reminds me of my daughter …. but (cough)…. It reminds me of ME!
When it comes to creating magnificent things (or attempting to), I am guilty of using adult words more times than I can count, followed by a walk with the dogs to calm down.
Clearly, I needed to read this book too!
The Most Magnificent Thing is a funny book that shows children the rewards of perseverance and creativity while dealing honestly with feelings of frustration and anger.
We meet a regular girl and her best friend, a dog. They do all kinds of things together. She makes things and he un-makes them.
One day, she has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing!
She sets to work and after some tinkering, hammering and measuring she steps back to admire her work. It doesn’t look right.
So she tries again…and again…and again.
She tries all different ways to make it better. She makes is square, round, gives it legs and even adds antennae.
But none of them are MAGNIFICENT.
She gets mad and the angrier she gets, the faster she works. She hits her finger and the pain rushes up to her brain and makes her explode. ‘’It is not her finest moment.’’
Her dog suggests a walk and before long, she starts to feel better and bit by bit, ‘’the mad gets pushed out of her head.’’
As she looks back on the wrong things she has made, she finds some bits that are really quite right. She finally knows how to make the thing MAGNIFICENT and gets to work.
She is not disappointed this time. It leans a little to the left, is a bit heavier than expected and the color could use some work. But it’s just what she wanted and they climb aboard and take it for a spin.
Ashely Spires is the award-winning author and illustrator of a number of children’s books. She says the artwork in this book was rendered digitally with lots of practice, two hissy fits and one all-out tantrum. I think it’s magnificent!
In a funny book that teaches children the rewards of perseverance and creativity, The Most Magnificent Thing also deals honestly with the feelings of frustration and anger that often accompany this process.
