The Most Magnificent Thing

In "The Most Magnificent Thing" by Ashley Spires, a girl has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! 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.

Transcript

0:12

Today, we're reading the most magnificent thing. Written and illustrated by Ashley spires. This is a regular girl and her best friend in the whole wide world. They do all kinds of things together. They race. They eat. They explore. They relax. She makes things. He unmaking things. One day, the girl has a wonderful idea. She's 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. First she hires an assistant. Next they gather their supplies. They set up somewhere out of the way and get to work. The girl tinkers and hammers and measures while her assistant pounces and growls and choose. When she has finished, she steps back to admire her work. She walks around one side, her assistant examines, the other side. It doesn't look right. Her assistant picks it up and gives it a shake. It doesn't feel right either. 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. She smooths and wrenches and fiddles, her assistant circles and tugs and wags. When she is finished, she stands up and takes a long look at it. Her assistant gives it a nudge with his Paul. The thing is still wrong. She decides to try again. The girls saw laws and glues and adjusts. She stands and examines in stairs. She twists and tweaks and fastens. She fixes and straightens and studies. She tries all different ways to make it better. She makes it square. She makes it round. She gives it legs. She adds in Tena. She makes it fuzzy. She makes it long, short, rough, smooth, big, small. One even smells of stinky cheese, but none of them are magnificent. Her hard work, attracts few admirers that they don't understand. They can't see the magnificent thing that she has in her mind. She gets mad. The angrier, she gets the faster she works. She smashes pieces into shapes. She jams parts together. She pummels the little bits in. Her hands feel too big to work. In her brain, that's too full of all the not right things. If only the thing would just work. Crutch. The pain starts in her finger. It rushes up to her brain and she. Explodes. It is not her finest moment. I'm no good at this. I quit. Her assistant suggests the walk. It's not much help at first. But before long, she starts to feel different. Bit by bit, the man gets pushed out of her head. As they stroll along, she comes across the first wrong thing she made. The bad feelings are about to start all over again. Then she notices something surprising. There are some parts of the wrong things that are really quite right. The bolts on one, the shape of another, the wheel to seat ratio of the next. There are all sorts of parts that she likes. By the time she reaches the end of the trail, she finally knows how to make the thing magnificent. She gets to work. She works carefully and slowly. Tinkering hammering. Twisting. Fiddling gluing painting. For assistant, make sure there are no distractions. this is the perfect thing to ward off bears. This will stop that leak. This one's all wet. The afternoon fades into evening. Finally, she finishes. She alerts her assistant. The pair ticket. Good long look. It leans a little to the left and it's a bit heavier than expected. The color could use a bit of work too. But it's just what she wanted. They climb a board and take it for a spin. They are not disappointed. It really is the most magnificent thing.