Review - Fancy Nancy: Oodles of Kittens

Fancy Nancy: Oodles of Kittens (Fancy Nancy)
by Jane O'Connor
illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
Date: 2018
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Fancy Nancy returns in a purr-fect story about felines, canines, and making new four-legged friends! From the dazzling New York Times bestselling duo Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser.

It's raining, and Nancy hears a strange sound coming from outside. Nancy and Bree decide to investigate, and what do they find? Lo and behold! It's oodles of adorable kittens! (Oodles is fancy for a lot.)

After finding some of the kittens good homes, Nancy and Bree each get to keep one for themselves. That's until Nancy's new kitten meets her posh pup, Frenchy. Will Nancy's two pets ever get along? Will Nancy be able to love them both the same?

Perfect for fans of the Eloise, Olivia, and other Fancy Nancy books.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

It's official: I prefer the I Can Read! books in this series to the regular picture books.

Fancy Nancy: Oodles of Kittens is a story about the result of irresponsible pet ownership. I really hoped that the stray cat would be spayed. How hard would it have been to write: "Mrs. Devine got Maj spayed. That's a fancy word that means Maj can't have any more kittens"? But, no, the stray cat stays with the woman who just screams "crazy cat lady", so you know that feline will probably be knocked up again within a few weeks.

This book caters to little girls who like all things cute, including kittens. And of course that's all they are: cute. There's no talk of litterboxes or hairballs or any other decidedly un-fancy things. The kitten (Nancy names it Sequin... of course she does) is basically just another accessory/toy for the kid. The story actually revolves around the dog, Frenchy, being jealous of the new kitten. But that's about it. It's pretty boring, and doesn't seem to have the same sort of rhythm and arc to the story that the I Can Read! titles do (I noticed this with Fancy Nancy and the Wedding of the Century, too).

The pictures are just okay for me. Again, I prefer the books with the illustrations that attempt to imitate this illustrator's work! (And I can't stand seeing the cat on the kitchen counter. That's just plain disgusting.)

So... nope. I didn't really like this one. I think I'm going to stick with the I Can Read! books in this series from now on (unless I can find the very first Fancy Nancy picture book; I might give that one a try).

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.17 out of 5