Category: | Book |
By (author): | Spires, Ashley |
Subject: | JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Dogs |
JUVENILE FICTION / Canadian | |
JUVENILE FICTION / Imagination & Play | |
JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Emotions & Feelings | |
Audience: | children/juvenile |
Awards: | Blue Spruce, Forest of Reading (2015) Short-listed Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards , Ontario Arts Council (2015) Short-listed Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award, Canadian Library Association (2015) Short-listed Top 2014 Mighty Girl Books For Younger Readers, A Mighty Girl (2014) Winner ALA Notables Children’s Book List, Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) (2015) Winner Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children List, Recommended Book, NCTE (2015) Commended 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2014, New York Public Library (2014) Winner Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award , IBBY-Canada (2014) Short-listed Chocolate Lily Book Award, Picture Book Category (2015) Short-listed Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize, West Coast Book Prize Society (2015) Short-listed |
Publisher: | Kids Can Press |
Published: | March 2014 |
Format: | Book-hardcover |
Pages: | 32 |
Size: | 9.30in x 9.30in x 0.50in |
From The Publisher* | Award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires has created a charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. "She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!" But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right. For the early grades' exploration of character education, this funny book offers a perfect example of the rewards of perseverance and creativity. The girl's frustration and anger are vividly depicted in the detailed art, and the story offers good options for dealing honestly with these feelings, while at the same time reassuring children that it's okay to make mistakes. The clever use of verbs in groups of threes is both fun and functional, offering opportunities for wonderful vocabulary enrichment. The girl doesn't just "make" her magnificent thing -- she "tinkers and hammers and measures," she "smoothes and wrenches and fiddles," she "twists and tweaks and fastens." These precise action words are likely to fire up the imaginations of youngsters eager to create their own inventions and is a great tie-in to learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. |
From The Publisher* | A little girl and her canine assistant set out to make the most magnificent thing. But after much hard work, the end result is not what the girl had in mind. Frustrated, she quits. Her assistant suggests a long walk, and as they walk, it slowly becomes clear what the girl needs to do to succeed. A charming story that will give kids the most magnificent thing: perspective! |
Biographical Note | Ashley Spires grew up in the Pacific Northwest, the supposed stomping grounds of Bigfoot. She is the author and illustrator of a number of books for children, including Small Saul and the Adventures of Binky the Space Cat. Ashley currently lives in the wilds of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. |