This was such a cute book! My kids loved it, especially my 3 year old, although my 9 year old loved it more for the illustrations than anything. It was such a great little story, and is a book that has been chosen over and over again as a bedtime read!

I loved how this shows not to give up on a project! Sometimes kids often feel frustrated and want to give up but this shows them that hey if I take a step back it could become something. It’s a great little message in th story and I was quite thrilled to be apart of reading it. The art was quirky cute, some word will need a bit of help for th younger reader but it’s great.

Cute! Nice story about figuring it all out. The little girl character seems to be able to use the time off from inventing to be able to calm herself down, which is a great lesson for those who have a bit of trouble with getting frustrated.

My 5-year old loved this one. The moment we finished, she said Again, Again! So, we read it again. It was a great story about determination and also very cute, with excellent pictures. I would love to buy this one in non-digital book form too.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the use of all the adjectives. It's a great book to teach kids about the process of creation and how some things take time and sometimes what we intend to make doesn't turn out quite how we imagined but to not give up!
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very beautiful book to talk to children about creativity, having ideas and implementing them and how all this process can be a bit frustrating!
The companion/assistant is there for the little girl to show her different view of the project and also to offer to take her mind away, when she needs it the most!
I loved the illustration, it really adds to the story!

I love this book. It’s a story of a girl who decides to make something wonderful with her assistant (her dog). Each thing she makes isn’t as perfect as she wanted it to be and she keeps starting over. She takes a break and takes a walk but when she comes back she realizes each thing she made was pretty special on its own.

This is a great story about innovation, perseverance, and determination. Kids will love the colorful character illustrations on a black and white background. This will be a good addition to my school library.

I received a copy of this title from Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review.

The Most Magnificent Thing

by Ashley Spires

The first thing you will notice about The Most Magnificent Thing is the quirky art style. The main character, a little girl, is drawn with a large head and body and pencil thin arms and legs. Her “best friend in the whole wide world” is her dog, drawn in the same style without any softness. The background is mainly black and white line drawing. This is not an art style that typically attracts me to a picture book, but it is the perfect backdrop for this story.

The main character is described as a “regular girl” and remains unnamed. This is the story of how she makes the most magnificent thing ever. Her project turns out to not be as easy as she anticipates, but she perseveres through various versions to the point of total frustration. She works through her anger, redirects her experimentation, building on her past failures, and in the end is satisfied with the results.

I really enjoyed reading this story and wished I had a child with me to share the experience. The Most Magnificent Thing opens up a wealth of opportunities for discussions about creativity, experimentation, success, failure, and persistence. It would be fun to read to a classroom or an individual child.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kids Can Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Children’s Fiction

Notes: Ages—3-7 years
Grade Level—Preschool-2

Publication: April 1, 2014—Kids Can Press

A charming book that my daughter and I enjoyed together.

I love this it shows a child persistence toward making the magnificent thing. As she's doing this she's still making things that other people can use or love even though she doesn't like it. It shows a positive way of working through something -- take a break and come back with fresh eyes.

I love this adorable children’s book! It shows kids to use their imagination and work through ideas. It also shows that failure and frustration are natural, and it’s ok to feel that way. Yet it reminds them not to give up! Great illustrations too!

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book contains a beautiful message for young children, teaching them to pursue their dreams, to be creative, and to never give up.

The Most Magnificent Thing reminds us all to never give up! That when things look difficult and seem like they will never work out, to step back. Get a new perspective and see the situation differently! This book sends a wonderful message to both children and adults alike! I could easly see this book being read and used in employment trainings because the message is so important especially to productivity and creativity!

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
Publisher: Kids Can Press
ISBN: 9781554537044

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Kids Can Press for the ebook ARC of The Most Magnificent Thing written and illustrated by Ashley Spires in exchange for an honest review.

A little girl sets out to make the most magnificent thing with the help of her canine assistant. After a lot of hard work, the end result is not what she had in mind. She ends up quitting, because she is frustrated. Her assistant suggests that they take a long walk and think about things. It slowly becomes clear to the little girl what she needs to do to succeed.

I give this book a rating of 5 stars. I think this a great story with a great message for children. It shows that practice and hard work can pay off in the end. It also shows patience. I really liked the illustrations in the book too. I read this book to my 4 year old daughter, and she really enjoyed it. She really liked that she was trying to build something magnificent and she liked that her dog was her assistant.

I just loved this book. I recomend it to all children (and adults!). It teaches us to be creative and to learn. Also it shows us that its perfectly normal to get upset and mad when we do not achieve something.... however we must never give up!

I adore this book! Ashley Spires creates a tale about a little girl learning about perseverance, dealing with frustration, and learning from mistakes through child friendly text and wonderful illustrations. I will be adding this to my school counseling office for individual and classroom sessions. I will also recommend to my school library. Thanks to Kids Can Press for the copy of this book via NetGalley.

A wonderful read about never giving up. Would definitely read this to my toddler age daughter or even in story time at work in the library.

I am so glad that I love to read books targeted for all ages. I loved this little book. It was really cute.

This is a great picture books for kids, even adults. It tells you to keep trying and never give up, no matter what. This book is told in a simple way to get the point across to young readers. However, people of all ages can get something from this story.

It has a good message. It is okay to take a break when you are trying to do something, but don't stop fully. Practice does make better, if not exactly perfect.

I also really enjoyed the artwork.

Ashley Spires holds no punches when it comes to this delightful, powerful picture book! The central figure of this book is just a bundle of feelings, most of them angry, bad feelings that she must learn to express and release or channel over the course of the book. She's an inventor, as ferociously ambitious as she is delightful and quirky. In other words, she's exactly the sort of character I rave about during Women's History Month and when promoting Women in STEM programs and themes in the library. I feel as though the hashtags #same and #relatable were INVENTED for this book, and I can assure we this book found its way onto our library shelves in record time. Its sort-of sequel, "The Thing Lou Couldn't Do," is likewise a worthy addition.

A charming book which looks at the real life frustration of the creative process and the rewards of perseverance. It’s also wonderful to see a female protagonist building and inventing things.