When I was little,
I had many dreams.
I REALLY wanted to make a vending machine.
I have no idea why.
I’d only seen vending machines at my school,
but for some reason I thought they were really cool.
I’d collect cardboard boxes and string
and I spent hours trying to figure out how I could make it work.
I remember the trying.
Lots and LOTS of trying.
But I was never able to make it exactly how I wanted it to turn out.
Now that I’m a grown up (sort of) I feel that way about my stories sometimes.
WHY do they have to be so hard?
WHY can’t they just be perfect?
They sound good in my head, but once they get on paper…
ugh.
It just takes work.
In this book, the main character is trying to make something wonderful too.
Title: The Most Magnificent Thing
Published by: Kids Can Press, 2014
Written by: Ashley Spires
Illustrated by: Ashley Spires
Word Count: 643
Pages: 32
In one word: Perspective
In one sentence: A girl and her canine assistant want to make this AMAZING thing, but, after all their hard work, it doesn’t turn out quite as they expected it to.
Favorite pages:
Likes:
- Whoa. Talk about a universal experience! EVERYONE can relate to this!
- I love the third person voice present tense voice. We’re right there as this whole thing is unfolding, and we feel her frustration. I also like that the girl never gets a name, because, really, she’s all of us.
- I love the illustrations. The girl, her dog, the things they make, and other people are very detailed, while the backgrounds are either the white of the page or buildings drawn with simple lines. This really helps you focus on what the girl is doing.
- GREAT verbs! She does all these things and many more: twists, fashions, stands, studies, smashes, fiddles…
Learns:
- Once again, it’s all about perspective!
- Something may not turn out the way you envisioned it, but if it works for what you need it to do, it’s still the most magnificent thing. I think that’s a REALLY important thing to think about as we go about revising our work, whether it’s words or pictures.
- Walks help.
- Character driven pictures books can be driven by a character with no name!
What did you read today?
Also, thanks you guys for filling out the google form.
It’s SOO COOL to see all the info in a spreadsheet!
I plan to share it when the contest is all over,
then make a page where people can find books based on the one word description.
Should be fun 🙂
See ya tomorrow!
KE
This book is nominated for the Cybils annual contest. I can’t wait to read it now that I have this sneak peak, Kathy Ellen. Thanks.
I’d like to encourage everyone here to nominate favorite books, especially in the Fiction Picture Book category, which I’m judging. We need some great books to read. (Some noms are nons, if you know what I mean.) Go here for nomming details: http://www.cybils.com/2014/10/and-go-2014-cybils-nominations-are-open.html THANKS!
I’ll miss participating in 31 in 31 this year. 🙁 Have fun!
Thanks for letting us know, Carol!
I’ll head over there when I get a chance.
We’ll miss you here at 31 in 31 but I know the Cybils judging is hard work.
I’ll have to interview you about it though…it’s something I hope to do next year!
I just placed a hold on this at the library. I tried before, but it wasn’t coming up. This time I tried the author’s name, and there it was! I could definitely use some perspective.
It’s a great one for perspective!