- Exclamation Mark
- Dogs Don’t Do Ballet
- Sam and Dave Dig a Hole
- The Most Magnificent Thing
- Private: Touch the Brightest Star
- James Marshall
- Cornelia Funke
- The Book With NO Pictures
- The 20 Best Books for Baby
- 20 Best Books for Pre-readers (3-5 yrs)
- The Best Wordless Books
- Detective Invisible – Kommissar Unsichtbar
- Childrens Books Agatha Christie Loves
- Mr. Murry and Thumbkin
It doesn’t matter if you’re a deeply creative person or a person who would like to be more creative. If you’re looking for a storybook about the creative process, this is one to get.
The Most Magnificent Thing will be at the top of my Top 100 List for this decade – no question. Here’s why you need to know about this book.
Artwork by author Ashley Spires.
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires (written and illustrated) is a sweet book that looks at the creative process with a bit of a knowing wink. For a person such as myself, who does at times get very frustrated along the way through a project, this is a really fun book.
I think for anyone who loves to create, and perhaps for those who are perfectionists, this is a book that will help remind you that the pitfalls are all part of the process. When you try to make something, there will be things that get thrown out.
There are some interesting decisions Spires makes in this story. The main character is “a regular girl” with no name. Ultimately she is us. The sidekick, her dog, is “her best friend in the whole wide world.” Also no name.
Pace and Style
The pace is spot-on, with page-turns exactly where they should be for the plot progression of this story. To show action-sequences and changing emotions, Spires uses more panels on the page. It’s very well done.
Stylistically, the characters and all the objects that are made by the protagonist are the only things that have color. The background, where she is, doesn’t really matter that much and so it’s simpler, without color (though some panels are delineated with a blue background, as you see above). The overall look is clean and uncomplicated.
The ending of the story is lovely. It ties in perfectly with the story set-up and will give you a good feeling of completion. This is a very well-crafted storybook on all counts.
What About You?
What books about the creative process have you read and love? Share with me in a comment below, let me know. I’m always looking for more great stories and maybe you know of one that I don’t… yet!
Keep creating (and reading), no matter what.
--Download The Most Magnificent Thing as PDF --