Title: The Most Magnificent Thing
Author: Ashely Spires
Illustrator: Ashely Spires
Publisher: Kids Can Press (2014)
ISBN: 9781554537044
A girl and her best friend in the whole wide world do all kinds of things together. “They race. They eat. They explore. They relax. She makes things. He unmakes things.” A girl, and her canine assistant glue, adjust, examine, stare, tweak, fasten, fix, straighten and study to create the most magnificent thing. “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.”
Her enthusiasm and confidence subside until she gets mad and quits! She walks her assistant and “bit by bit, the mad gets pushed out of her head” and inspiration hits her. She starts construction of the magnificent thing on the sidewalk where neighbours, climbing over her discarded attempts, discover they can use them for themselves. The girl and her dog finish their design and “climb aboard and take it for a spin. They are not disappointed. It really is THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING.”