Review - Fancy Nancy: Chez Nancy

Fancy Nancy: Chez Nancy (Fancy Nancy)
adapted by Nancy Parent
illustrated by the Disney Storybook Art Team
Date: 2018
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Nancy has a new playhouse, and it's time for some ooh-la-la fancy fun! But when one friend wants to be the boss of who can come to play, Nancy has to decide what it means to be a good friend.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Based on the book adaptations I've read so far, I don't think I'd like the TV show. This is another story about Nancy and her family and friends involving decor (the first book I read had the kids decorating the sidewalk with handprints, while this one has them decorating a playhouse). I wonder if there are any other plot points in the show, other than making the Clancy property fancy...

The things that I like about Fancy Nancy just don't come across in these books, and it's the illustrations that really bring the rating down for me. It's not that they're bad... but part of the fun of Fancy Nancy is that she's always wearing some weird and wonderful outfit. Because these illustrations are based on animated characters--who are often dressed the same way all the time--all we see is Nancy in the same outfit: tutu, striped tights, tiara. I much prefer the look of her in the original picture books.

I also don't really like the way Grace is portrayed here. She's the "mean girl" who's made an appearance in other Fancy Nancy titles. The thing is, most of the time, she just comes across as jealous and ignorant, wanting to be part of something, or being a know-it-all. Here, though, she's just cruel. She convinces Nancy to kick JoJo and Freddy out of the playhouse, and then smirks about it afterward and leaves in a huff when Nancy realizes she was wrong to kick out the younger siblings. It's not really the Grace we know from the other books; here, she's simplified to a caricature of a mean girl, and the nuance is lost.

I'm working my way through all the Fancy Nancy titles our library has, and that's really the only reason I picked this one up. It's kind of weak, just like the other Disney Fancy Nancy book I've read so far that was based on the show. Give me Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser's original work any day!

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

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5