I haven't read any others in the series, but this works fine on its own. It's a nice introduction to working with a group or collaborating with a partner. The emotions are universal, and the lesson on how to deal with them will go a long way. The illustrations are cute and it's fun watching their project coming together.

Thank you for the ARC. I will purchase for my library.

Sweet Story About Finding Common Ground & Working Together!

Overall: 4 ⭐
Plot/Lesson*: 4📍
Laughter: 3 😅

“Mom's” Review:

As this is a children's book, and my older daughter, A°., is a new reader, we read this one together. Overall, a really cute story, roughly 40 pages. It's nice to not give names to the characters, instead being ‘the girl” and ”the neighbor.” It ends up giving them some small level of “any girl” and “any neighbor” which was nice!

The lesson of learning to play well with someone whose process is totally different than yours is quite well translated. Kiddo picked up on that right away. Both act poorly and both need to step back a moment to reevaluate. However, the story did seem to favor one character’s process over another - enough so A. seemed to think the story initially was trying to make that point.

I loved the illustrations! With the background settings either black and white or monotone, the focus remained on the beautifully drawn, adorable characters and their pet “assistants” (who each had delightful personalities, too!)

This was our first time reading Ashley Spires and A. already requested to find the other books. So cute!

A’s^ Review:

“My favorite part is when the two friends take a breath - b/c when they got mad, they took a deep breath to calm down & then they started working together. That's what we're supposed to do and I try to remember that even if it's hard sometimes.

I also really liked the pictures! The neighbor had mismatched socks, just like me, which was so cool. And my fave picture was when the dog was kissing the cat. That was so funny!”

Thank you to Ashley Spires, Net Galley, & Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review and early copy this book!
All opinions are our own.

* I count Plot/Lesson as how well the intended message or story-line translates to the target age group.
° A. is my daughter, currently at a ”Ready To Read” Level 3, who read the book to/with me.
^ A. had the smallest bit of trouble with a few new-to-her words, but nothing major.

My kids (5 and 7) were a little old for this book, but really enjoyed it. The illustrations were so cute and because they are a little older. we were able to get into a great discussion after reading the story!! So happy we were able to read this one!

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires is an empowering and inspiring book! It's a wonderful story that promotes a growth mindset, patience, and resilience. I also love the heartwarming theme of two friends working together on a creative project.

Ashley Spires' latest installment to the Most Magnificent series would be a welcome addition to any children’s library collection. In this story, the girl meets her neighbour outside when she arrives with her assistant to build her newest creation. They decide to work together and run into some challenges along the way, discovering that collaborating with others can be difficult. Despite the ups and downs, and a few meltdowns, the partners learn that by communicating and compromising they can create something even more magnificent. For teachers, this book would be an excellent way to explore some of the behaviours and emotions that can arise during group activities, and would be a good introduction to the communicative and collaborative competencies needed for successfully working with others. Thank you to Kids Can Press for providing this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A fabulous addition to the series! In this installment, the authors explores the benefits and difficulties of collaboration. The girl and her neighbor like doing things their own way. They’ve got unique ideas and don’t want to budge. But in the end, they discover the magnificence that comes from working together.

This one will be a perfect read aloud for elementary-age kids! (And anyone else who might need a teamwork refresher!)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher or the ARC!

This was an adorable book about two girls who learn how to work together despite having very different personalities and ways of going about tasks. The pets were adorable and the illustrations were super fun. The story itself was very relatable, even as an adult. I can definitely remember having this same argument with my best friend as a child countless times. However, the way the story was broken up on a few pages, with words both on top and on bottom of a really large illustration in the middle, made me miss some of the words sometimes. My eye didn't naturally go to that top part, only seeing the large illustration and the sentence (or partial sentence) beneath it. I also would've preferred the children had names instead of just "the girl" and "the neighbor" as it was sort of difficult to keep up in some places and took me out of the story for sure. Also I feel like 'neighbor' is too difficult of a word for early readers to have to read over and over again.

This was a great addition to the series--and a great standalone. I loved that they showed how to step back from a problem and work through it. 10/10

The Most Magnificent Team is the fourth installment in this series. The illustrations continue to be bright and colourful and children will enjoy them. I enjoyed the two FMCs that are designing and building a project. Through their design and building process they teach the reader how to work together and manage when things do not go their way. This is a great message for young readers.

For teachers and parents the book offers a great opportunity to discuss new vocabulary, the author's message and social skills.

Thank you Net Galley, Ashley Spires and Kids Can Press for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
The Most Magnificent Team is expected to be released May 6, 2025.

Although The Most Magnificent Team is aimed it children, I swear, I know a lot of adults who should read this book.

Wanting to do things our own way and butting heads with people who do things differently is a universal, ageless theme.

I absolutely loved this book.

The Most Magnificent Team takes a good look about what it means to make new friends, work together, and occasionally agree to disagree. I like how the characters are "The Girl" and "The Neighbor", as this can allow children to put themselves in the story. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to purchasing a copy for my first grade classroom. This book would be appropriate for K-2.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for an ARC of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Once again Ashley Spires has given us a wonderful book to share and enjoy. Children will be delighted with how the girl and the neihbour and their assistants work through all the challenges. Detailed illustrations highlight each page.

The Most Magnificent Team is the 4th book in the Most Magnificent series by Ashley Spires, and this one is a great addition!

Having to work with someone who has different ideas, or ways of doing things is so frustrating, especially when you don't know how to deal with it (like most kids do, it's a skill you need to learn!) But the fact that this is displayed in the book, and that it is ok to get mad, is so refreshing to see because a lot of times emotions are kept out of books.

I like the part where it says to take some time, and then come back to the problem. A pause to calm down or rethink about the situation is so important, and having it added in the book as something good is a great addition.

The colored characters and items with very simple black and white sketched backgrounds is something that helps highlight where the child should look in this book, and I really like the visual differences this adds to help make this style stand out.

A perfect addition to the series, or just a great stand alone book for children, both my 5 and 8 year old enjoyed it!

This is another fantastic addition to the Magnificent series by Ashley Spires. This time, the story explores themes of collaboration, frustration, and the realization that people can work in different ways and still be successful. These are big and important topics for our kiddos as they are learning and they are talked about in a very approachable way for kids ages 4-7.

There are many ways to approach a problem, an idea, a solution. The important part is learning that you can find ways to use your individual strengths to come together and make something even better than you imagined! I loved seeing our beloved main character again and hope to share more of their stories with my Little in the future!

Thank you for the fun read!

I really loved this book! It shows how two people can work together while also having disagreements on how to get it done.
This is such an important skill for kids to learn and use in an educational setting. The last thing we want is a bunch of adults who don't know how to work together just because they don't agree.
I would love to read this to the students in my future classroom or even now in the library when students come in for story time.

This book did a great job of showing how working together can help you create something even better than you could originally imagine. It has two characters with different ideas and strengths come together to build something great. This will make a great addition to an elementary library.

In the fourth installment of The Most Magnificent Series, Ashley Spires explores the challenges and rewards of collaboration in The Most Magnificent Team. This relatable book is a wonderful addition to any collection for children aged 3 and above, at a time when they are moving beyond parallel play and starting to engage more meaningfully with peers.

The story follows a girl and her adorable furry assistant as they set up for a creative project—only to find that their favorite workspot is already in use by a neighbor girl and her spunky feline companion. Initially, both pairs approach the situation with curiosity and mild trepidation. Yet, despite their excitement about collaborating, minor differences in opinion soon lead to mounting frustration and emotional strain—a familiar scenario for anyone who has watched young children interact.

Spire skillfully contrasts the two working styles: one character loves to tinker and adjust on the fly while the other values careful planning, believing in the adage of measuring twice and cutting once. As mismatches in ideas and expectations cause their collaboration to falter, both learn that mistakes aren’t signs of failure but essential milestones on the road to success. The charming illustrations, with just the right touch of whimsy, help young readers see themselves in the narrative.

With its focus on the growth mindset and teamwork, this book serves as an excellent tool for showing children that every individual on a team brings unique value. As a parent of two spirited 4‑year‑olds with very distinct working styles, I found it delightful to share this story with them—and I look forward to revisiting it.

I didn't know this was a series but I'm looking forward to reading more of these. The girl and the neighbor are so cute, and they know they want to work together to build their project, but they have to figure out how to collaborate and compromise. Adorable! This was such a positive book.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for an e-ARC. All thoughts an opinions are my own.

Ashley Spires is back at it again with her beloved "Girl" from the Most Magnificent series. Spires always has a knack for illustrating the maker process in a relatable and humorous way and The Most Magnificent Team is no different. Teamwork is hard for kids (and adults). This book craftily showcases the struggles of wanting to collaborate, but also wanting to hold onto one's own ideas. I particularly liked the arc the characters go through as they attempt to team up and create a most magnificent thing together. Naturally adding in cool down steps ("breathe" and "seek support from assistants") was a huge bonus.

I thought it was an interesting choice to name the new character "The Neighbor"---who just happens to be THE cutest drawn character maybe ever---but I suppose that is on par with the main character being named "The Girl".

Ashley Spires is onto something great with this series and they should find a way into every classroom and every maker space.

Oh my, the best in the series yet. The perfect lesson on teamwork for our creative, intelligent, (and maybe a little bossy) littles who have lots of good ideas and like to do things their way. Also a great opportunity for conversations on different working styles, the balance of form and function, the value of aesthetics, planning versus jumping in, and the merits of all of the above. Superb.