Most Magnificent Thing, The

A young girl is going to create a "magnificent thing," but fails in early attempts. She copes, resumes her work, and ultimately succeeds. "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 "smoothest 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" (Amazon).