A magnificent sequel that absolutely builds on the previous book by exploring how tricky it is for children to create something together in a team. The two characters are fun and vibrant and the setting of being outside with all the materials is fantastic. Then we get so much key moments for discussion. Planning our item, the steps to building, what we do when we are frustrated and the need to listen to others. The facial expressions and reactions such as the characters turning their backs due to them being annoyed or stubborn is something that teachers and pupils will have lessons discussing as are the moments of compromise that are shown after the conflict. The relationship between the text and images are fantastic, the characters are lovable and more importantly, relatable. This story absolutely shines with so much teaching material and potential. The themes are powerful but shown in humorous and engaging ways. A copy is needed for each class let alone each school.

This is an excellent addition to this wonderful series! Learning to work together is such an important part of early childhood, school- and adulthood and most careers! The art tells its own little side stories. I plan to adopt this into my ECE classroom library.

The Most Magnificent Team is a delightful children's picture book written and illustrated by Ashley Spires. Whimsical vivid illustrations paint the picture of two young girls who live near each other in a delightful city with adults who actually care about the opinions and interests of the children in their neighborhood. These two young girls adore inventing, creating, and building things. Neither of them is limited by stereotypical roles-- if they need to read and utilize a blueprint to develop their inventions, then that is exactly what they will do. However, the encounter a conundrum when they realize that their visions are not initially aligned and neither of them wants to be a mere assistant to the other. After working separately to complete their own projects, they quickly discover that working alone simply is not working out for them. Reluctantly, they decide to form a team and use their own strengths and special talents to create an invention that is absolutely wonderful. After all, success is truly reached when working together as a team!

This will surely become a staple in children's libraries due to its ability to teach a valuable social lesson in forming friendships and working in unison with peers.

This is the first book of the series I’ve read. It’s a great way to talk about and encourage team work, and I love how realistic it is. Not everyone works well together, and even if they do, they don’t always think the same. In the end, everyone can contribute something. The result may not be expected, but it can be similar, and--hopefully--better.

4.25 Stars

A follow-up to the beloved book, THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING, but adding another lovable duo!
I loved that THE MOST MAGNIFICENT TEAM illustrates (literally) not just the design and redesign process, but doing so with feedback and other opinions. An important topic for adults and children, alike.
The pet assistants are once again a delight and the chaos of the girl’s creative process is a joyful inspiration.
I do wish the word team was repeated more throughout the story to reinforce the concept. Perhaps even demonstrate a brainstorming process with various words like “co-creator”, “collaborator”, and “teammate”.
But all-in-all, an enjoyable read and wonderful depiction of the beauty of teamwork!

I was honored to be able to enjoy an ARC of this book through NetGalley. Thank you to author/illustrator, Ashley Spires, and Kids Can Press.

This is my second Ashley Spires picture book and it doesn’t disappoint. There is so much humor and expectation in her stories. You see these colorful panels of hard work and wonder what will result from the elaborate construction. Just when you’re sure there’s nothing remarkable to be made, you’re always surprised by the results. And working as a team makes the end product even more spectacular. I love the reality of working with another creative. It’s hard to give up ownership of an idea when working with others, but when you both bend and sway to the other person’s ideas and talent, you could make the most wonderful things.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

We own the first book, The Most Magnificent Thing, and adore it! I need to keep tabs on Picture books because I didn’t know this was a series now. I saw this on Netgalley and had to request it!

I love that this is about learning how to navigate teamwork. It’s hard, even as an adult, to do things as a team. They both had their strengths and weaknesses. They were able to learn how they could work together and create something amazing. My son really caught on to their emotions with the illustrations, which was a bonus! Speaking of the illustrations, I adore them.

Overall, we loved this one and I will be adding it to our library!! I think all kids need to read about how teamwork can be difficult, but you can work through it!

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

We love this author. This is another wonderful book about common childhood challenges. My children loved this.

I received an electronic ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley.
Spires brings us a fourth book in this series. This time the girl discovers someone else in her creating space. She isn't sure but decides to work with the other inventor to create her design. However, she discovers that the other young girl has her own opinions and ideas. Readers may agree that it is difficult to work together until everyone learns to compromise and listen. By the end, the two have created an incredible invention that is already being used. They agree to meet again to invent more. I love the character expression on both the two inventors and their assistants. We can clearly tell what all of them are feeling as the story unfolds. Looking forward to sharing this with our students.

For the past three years, my 4th graders have worked together to make a cardboard gingerbread house every December. This book is the perfect intro to how to work together and disagree but also come together to make something work!

Our old favorite character from The Most Magnificent Thing has her own ideas but when she runs into the neighbor, they try to work together. It is not going well and they decide to do the plans their own way but both end up frustrated and end up coming together and learned how to handle the disagreement to create something amazing! A book of perseverance with such cute illustrations!

5/5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a wonderful book for littles learning teamwork. The illustrations are beautiful and it is relatable for children.
I love the furry friends in the story as children will get very excited about this aspect.
There are also speaking bubbles which helps children learn about dialogue!
I definitely recommend this book! A good pick for teachers and parents.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for an advanced read copy of this sweet children’s book.

The Most Magnificent Team by Ashley Spires is about two neighborhood girls that learn to share and work together to complete a project for their pets. The book teaches the importance of working through differences when others may have a different perspective than our own. It shows how coping skills such as taking a break and some breaths can help us when we feel angry. The story reminds young readers that when we cooperate we can solve problems together and grow stronger relationships.

The illustrations in the book were wonderful too and I loved the little girls adorable pets that worked alongside them as they forged a new friendship.

This book would make a wonderful addition to an early elementary aged classroom or school library and is a great educational resource for school counselors and social skills building.

Really think this is a valuable story for kids! Perhaps most suited to the 4 year old/kindergarten set as it tells the story of two girls but also delivers a message about teamwork and collaboration that would be lost on younger kids. I've never read the other books in this series but truly enjoyed this one and think it has tremendous value as a story and a lesson for kids!

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I love Ashley Spires (<I>The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do</I> is a storytime favorite), so I requested this one as soon as I saw it was available.

Super cute story about teamwork, with Spires’ signature style and artwork. The little girl from <I>The Most Magnificent Thing</I> returns, but this time she has a new neighbor. While she’s first excited to meet a fellow maker, the neighbor does things differently and their styles don’t mesh AT ALL (I also love the detail that neighbor has a cat while the original girl has a dog). Neighbor is more methodical, while the girl just wants to plow through and DO STUFF. In the end, each one realizes the other’s way has some merit, but what’s actually best is working through things together!

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC! This is adorable and the perfect read to teach littles how to accept help when it’s needed and working together rather than thinking your idea is the best/only way
Really loved this and so did my daughter (age 4.5)

This series is lovely. The artwork is well done and the story and lesson is so much fun too. The entire series is about makers and more importantly women in STEM, and I think it's a much needed approach to show young children that they can do wonderful things if they just try. Spires has such a lovely way of drawing and illustration with lots of little details even in the simplest work. This story, which can stand along from the other Magnificent books, is about learning to work together even if you have different ideas and approaches. I almost want to give this book to people I work with who want everyone to bend to their rules, their way of thinking and their way of working. But I won't because, well, that may not be the right message to send to work colleagues since they obviously didn't learn this fundamental lessons about partnership when they were children.

I love the design that they come up with in the end and especially how it pops with more colour than most of the other pieces, and especially the two pieces when they are built separately.

All in all, a lovely read that is good for an early reader or for storytelling time. It encourages girls to be makers; and it inspires young children to work together to build a magnificent thing.

I’m thrilled to share my review of The Most Magnificent Team by Ashley Spires, book four in the delightful series about our favorite young maker and her trusty dog best friend. A big thank you to Kids Can Press, Ashley Spires, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of its release!

This time, our young maker meets another creator, and they decide to team up on a project. But as they dive in, their different approaches to work spark frustration and trouble. The story beautifully captures their journey of navigating disagreements, learning to communicate, and discovering how much more they can achieve together than apart.

This book is an excellent tool for introducing young readers to the importance of collaboration and the skills needed to work through challenges in a team setting. It’s perfect for classrooms, maker spaces, or any home where creativity and teamwork are celebrated. The illustrations are as charming as ever, and the story delivers an empowering message about problem-solving and friendship.

I can’t wait to add this book to my classroom library! It’s a must-have for fostering creativity and collaboration in young minds. Grab a copy for your space today—you won’t regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I am a huge fan of Ashley Spires, and this picture book does not disappoint. We are back with the girl and her assistant, and this time, they have help. A wonderful story about teamwork and collaboration and how even though all minds might not think alike, everyone has ideas they can bring to the table. A welcome addition to any library.

This is the 4th installment in the “Most Magnificent” series, and having read and reviewed the previous three books, I can confidently say these are some of the best children’s books I’ve ever come across.

All 4 books incorporate STEM elements, which I absolutely love. They encourage children to think, try, learn, and create in imaginative and relatable ways. Themes include learning from failures, brainstorming, vocabulary for makers, and how to work with others (which is the theme of today’s book).

Working with others isn’t always easy, especially when the team can’t agree on how to do things. In this story, the girl has an idea and sets out to build something. She meets a new neighbor, and they decide to work together on the project. But, the girl becomes quite frustrated because her neighbor has many ideas of her own, and the girl believes her design is perfect as is. Tension builds and they ultimately stop working together to do their own thing. Of course, there’s a positive lesson at the end, and the resolution is wonderful and relatable for kids.

Spires’ artwork is some of best I’ve ever seen in a children’s book. The overall vibe is unique and simple, yet spectacularly striking. I particularly love how many backgrounds are in black and white, while the focus of the page (the girl, her dog, her friend, their projects) is in color. Plus, the emotions on the little girl’s face (and her dog’s), particularly when she gets frustrated or angry, are spot on!

This book (and all her books) are must-haves for any classroom and any child! I can’t recommend them highly enough!

Thank you @netgalley and @KidsCanPress for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I will accept no criticism on this series. I absolutely love how Spires is introducing the concept of team work and problem solving into the series. Necessary skills for kids to build from a very young age. Can't wait for publish day!!