The Most Magnificent Thing

Reading a children’s book can be magical even if you’re reading the book to yourself because the story can take you back to a time when you thought extraordinary things were still possible.

Reading James and The Giant Peach when I was 9 years old filled me with morbid fear of Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge who were terribly cruel to little James. But, the story also filled me with great joy when James prevailed despite the odds.  And, who could forget Charlotte’s Web where the love of a little girl and the devotion of a spider saved Wilbur from a terrible fate?

In The Most Magnificent Thing, the author (Ashley Spires) tells and illustrates the beautiful and heartwarming story of a little girl who has an idea to make the most magnificent thing although she is not quite sure what it is. She just knows she is meant to make it. And, so she and her best friend who happens to be a dog set out to make the most magnificent thing. Along the way, there are failures and frustrations, but they don’t give up because she knows this is her destiny.

Any adult who can remember back when anything was possible but difficult should read this book. And, then read it to a child, even if it’s the child inside you.