Review - Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet

Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet (Fancy Nancy)
by Jane O'Connor
illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
Date: 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

From the dazzling bestselling duo Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser comes a fancy, frilly ballet story with a lot of heart. Young ballerinas and Fancy Nancy fans will shout encore!

Fancy Nancy is ready for the spotlight! Fancy Nancy and her best friend, Bree, couldn't be more excited about their upcoming dance show. After all, it's all about mermaids, and who knows how to be a fancy, glamorous mermaid better than Fancy Nancy herself?

But when another ballerina wins the coveted role of the mermaid, Nancy is stuck playing a dreary, dull tree. Can Nancy bring fancy flair to her role, even though it isn't the one she wanted? And when disaster strikes right before the big ballet, who will step into the spotlight?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Yesterday I read one of my least favourite Fancy Nancy books so far. But today I read one on the other end of the spectrum! Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet is so cute and entertaining, with a lovely message. I can't help but think that my six-year-old ballet-loving self would have adored this book!

Nancy and Bree are excited to hear that their dance show has an undersea theme. They love to play mermaids, and they both hope to be cast in those roles. Unfortunately, they end up being cast as a tree and an oyster (respectively)... that is, until one of the mermaids sprains her ankle. Bree is made a replacement mermaid, which sends Nancy into a tizzy of jealousy. She feels bad about not feeling good for her friend, and there's a nice little discussion she has with her mom about this. Eventually, Nancy embraces her role as a tree and enjoys performing in the ballet after all. 

This book brought back some fond memories of dance classes and the excitement of recitals: learning the dances, watching our poor moms have to make the costumes, getting all dressed up (and made up) on the big night. This book captures that special feeling. I like that there's also a little boy in Nancy's ballet class. Why shouldn't there be?

So this is a super-cute addition to the Fancy Nancy library. I think it's my favourite so far, out of all the titles I've read.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.83 out of 5