The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires

On social media, I try to follow pages and people who inspire and educate me (also Nifty). One trend I am skirting around the fringes of is Growth Mindset, especially helping my kids develop a growth mindset for themselves. I think many kids have a tendency to wallow in their mini-failures, their mistakes, their imperfect first tries. They see older kids, or grown-ups doing things that are too difficult for them – yet. One of my girls is especially prone to this. She hates the feeling that what she tried to create hasn’t turned out the way she saw it in her head.

I can’t quite remember if ‘The Most Magnificent Thing‘ was recommended from a growth mindset page, or another of the kid’s book pages I follow, either way, it is a terrific book that explores what it feels like to work on a project, through failure, and onto success.

The book is about a regular (unnamed) girl. It could easily be about a boy, but I’m so glad it’s not. She has a plan to make something magnificent. She works and works in different ways, trying to make the thing, but the thing is not ‘good’. It is this stage that I find most difficult with my kids: the point where they have really, really tried and the thing hasn’t worked out how they wanted in their head, so they call it ‘not good’.

I love that in ‘The Most Magnificent Thing’ kids can see what it looks like to have a bit of a breakdown. Then, after some time and a break, you can come back to your project with new eyes. That often, just after all roads seem blocked off, the hoped-for success is actually right in front of you. It teaches them that taking a break is not giving up; that you have to put in the work that is required, not just the work you want to put in; and that a regular girl can create magnificent things.

Lots of great growth mindset material.

When I heard about his book I went a looked it up and found a terrific little video that is a wonderful adaptation of the book.