Book Review: The Most Magnificent Thing

From the Book Jacket: 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.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This was a charming book discovery towards the end of the school year. It is DIVINE and I will be heavily using it. A few months ago I talked about Mindsets in the Classroom which has really pushed me to find more books to help kids overcome challenges they perceive they have. Or if they get stuck and can't figure something out. School can feel hard. How many times have you seen a child just give up out of frustration? The little girl in this book represents this so well. She decides to quit her project and carries the mindset that she has no ability. Her trusty little dog helps her work things out and TRY AGAIN. Failure is a stepping stone to success. This is a message I will be working on next year with kids. I hope to find more books in this area. I noticed the new ASCA standards include Mindset. Exciting!

A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Helpful: 

Book Review: A Is For Awesome

Author/Illustrator: Dallas Clayton
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

From the Book Jacket: This is a book about the alphabet and all the wonderful letters it contains. It's also a book about possibilities, about all the possible words there are. Once you gather letters together, you can mix them  up in whatever order you choose; you can make up whatever words you like. Big words, small words, old words, new words - even words that no one has ever said before. Once you've learned this alphabet, think about all the other alphabets out there, and all the other languages and all the other words all over the world. Imagine how many great things you'll get to read and write and sing and say. It's going to be awesome!

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I run self-esteem groups throughout the year for students and we often do a name acronym activity. We choose a lot of uplifting adjectives. I came across A is for Awesome and am so excited to have this as part of my lesson. Reading it will help get some inspiration going as we start the activity. Plus it's such a cool book!

I is IMAGINE IDEAS all your own
J JUST remember you're never alone
K is for KIDS being KIDS (that's the coolest)
L is for LIVING LIFE up to its fullest

A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Helpful: 

Book Review: The Girl and the Bicycle

Author/Illustrator: Mark Pett
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

From the Book Jacket: A touching wordless picture book about a little girl, a shiny bicycle, and the meaning of persistence - with an unexpected payoff. 

A little girl sees a shiny new bicycle in the shop window. She hurries home to see if she has enough money in her piggy bank, but when she comes up short, she knocks on the doors of her neighbors, hoping to do their yardwork. They all turn her away except for a kindly old woman. 

The woman and the girl work through the seasons, side by side. They form a tender friendship. When the weather warms, the girl finally has enough money for the bicycle. She runs back to the store, but the bicycle is gone! What happens next shows the reward of hard work and the true meaning of generosity. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I just added this really POWERFUL wordless picture book to my shelf. I think it's extraordinary. When I got to the last page I teared up. Not the sad kind of tears, but the ones from the good place in my heart.

When the girl goes back to the store to get the bicycle and it is gone, she does something most might not fathom. She goes into the store with her hard earned money and buys her little brother a tricycle. She leaves empty handed.

But it's not about acquiring things, she acquired so much more - the invisible stuff. Character. When she gets home.....that's when the magic of kindness really hits......see below. Get the kleenex. 

Kids will really love this message. These acts of kindness are the things they yearn to do. Such an encouraging heartwarming story. I feel lucky to have discovered it. 

A Link to This Book:

a touching wordless picture book about a little girl, a shiny bicycle, and the meaning of persistence—with an unexpected payoff.

A little girl sees a shiny new bicycle in the shop window. She hurries home to see if she has enough money in her piggy bank, but when she comes up short, she knocks on the doors of her neighbors, hoping to do their yardwork. They all turn her away except for a kindly old woman.

The woman and the girl work through the seasons, side by side. They form a tender friendship. When the weather warms, the girl finally has enough money for the bicycle. She runs back to the store, but the bicycle is gone! What happens next shows the reward of hard work and the true meaning of generosity. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Girl-and-the-Bicycle/Mark-Pett/9781442483194#sthash.q3zbLmJV.dpuf

a touching wordless picture book about a little girl, a shiny bicycle, and the meaning of persistence—with an unexpected payoff.

A little girl sees a shiny new bicycle in the shop window. She hurries home to see if she has enough money in her piggy bank, but when she comes up short, she knocks on the doors of her neighbors, hoping to do their yardwork. They all turn her away except for a kindly old woman.

The woman and the girl work through the seasons, side by side. They form a tender friendship. When the weather warms, the girl finally has enough money for the bicycle. She runs back to the store, but the bicycle is gone! What happens next shows the reward of hard work and the true meaning of generosity. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Girl-and-the-Bicycle/Mark-Pett/9781442483194#sthash.q3zbLmJV.dpuf

a touching wordless picture book about a little girl, a shiny bicycle, and the meaning of persistence—with an unexpected payoff.

A little girl sees a shiny new bicycle in the shop window. She hurries home to see if she has enough money in her piggy bank, but when she comes up short, she knocks on the doors of her neighbors, hoping to do their yardwork. They all turn her away except for a kindly old woman.

The woman and the girl work through the seasons, side by side. They form a tender friendship. When the weather warms, the girl finally has enough money for the bicycle. She runs back to the store, but the bicycle is gone! What happens next shows the reward of hard work and the true meaning of generosity. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Girl-and-the-Bicycle/Mark-Pett/9781442483194#sthash.q3zbLmJV.dpuf

a touching wordless picture book about a little girl, a shiny bicycle, and the meaning of persistence—with an unexpected payoff.

A little girl sees a shiny new bicycle in the shop window. She hurries home to see if she has enough money in her piggy bank, but when she comes up short, she knocks on the doors of her neighbors, hoping to do their yardwork. They all turn her away except for a kindly old woman.

The woman and the girl work through the seasons, side by side. They form a tender friendship. When the weather warms, the girl finally has enough money for the bicycle. She runs back to the store, but the bicycle is gone! What happens next shows the reward of hard work and the true meaning of generosity. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Girl-and-the-Bicycle/Mark-Pett/9781442483194#sthash.q3zbLmJV.dpuf