The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires | eBook (NOOK Kids Read to Me)

Publishers Weekly

01/27/2014
For her story of a girl’s ambition to build “the most magnificent thing,” Spires (the Binky the Space Cat books) draws her towing a red wagon full of random junk. “The girl saws and glues and adjusts. She stands, examines and stares. She twists and tweaks and fastens.” Shadowed by her stubby bulldog assistant, she hits a roadblock, and her frustration grows: “Her hands feel too big to work and her brain is too full of all the not-right things.” It’s the bulldog that realizes that his boss needs a break. In the act of taking a walk, her mind clears: “Bit by bit, the mad gets pushed out of her head.” The “magnificent thing” turns out to be a bulldog-size sidecar for her scooter. It’s a useful description of the creative process, an affirmation of making rather than buying, and a model for girl engineers. There are quiet laughs, too, like the description of the girl’s work area as “somewhere out of the way”—smack in the middle of the sidewalk, that is, annoying the maximum number of neighbors. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

One day our heroine decides she will make “the most MAGNIFICENT thing!” With her canine best friend as assistant, it should be “easy-peasy.” Out on the street they gather their supplies. After working a while, they examine their product, but find it “all WRONG.” She saws, glues, adjusts, examines, twists, tweaks, fastens, etc. etc., on and on, all in vain. So she gets “MAD.” She smashes a finger and explodes in anger and pain. When she decides to quit, her dog friend suggests a walk. But bit-by-bit she feels better. She finally figures out how to make “…the thing MAGNIFICENT,” in this celebration of creativity and perseverance. Digitally created illustrations display a stylized creator with a large head and stick legs and a bulbous dog. The linear background is sketched in; the page designs vary. The objects she creates and spreads along the sidewalk are very inventive; others find them useful. And her final creation is magnificent indeed. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz; Ages 4 to 7.

School Library Journal

04/01/2014
K-Gr 2—A girl decides to make something magnificent with the help of her assistant—her dog, but they "are shocked to discover that the thing isn't magnificent. Or good. It isn't even kind-of-sort-of okay. It is all wrong. The girl tosses it aside and gives it another go." From her efforts, children see the importance of planning, gathering supplies, building, and not giving up when a good idea doesn't initially work out. Ample use of white space makes the digital artwork pop. The text consists mainly of one- or two-line captions for the pictures, and the layout and design are spot-on, building action with a smart use of vignettes, boxed illustrations, and spreads. Clever use of artwork conveys the youngster's spectrum of emotions as she "saws and glues and adjusts," "smashes," "pummels," and "explodes" ("It is not her finest moment."). Then, finally, the girl finishes, and her scooter really is "the most magnificent thing." This is a solid choice with a great message that encourages kids not to quit in the face of disappointment but rather to change their perspective and start over.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2014-02-26
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine's experience as she struggles to realize her vision. First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: "[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!" The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn't turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she "tinkers," "wrenches," "fiddles," "examines," "stares" and "tweaks." Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner's through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant. Spires' understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)

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