Review - Fancy Nancy: Poison Ivy Expert

Fancy Nancy: Poison Ivy Expert (Fancy Nancy)
by Jane O'Connor
illustrated by Ted Enik
Date: 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

When Nancy picks flowers for Ms. Glass's surprise party, she is overjoyed--until she discovers an unpleasant surprise of her own! How could Nancy, practically a poison ivy expert, come down with something so unfancy?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Nancy picks some flowers for her teacher's birthday. She thinks she's being careful not to touch any poison ivy, but she comes into contact with some anyway and develops an itchy red rash. She has to stay home from school and even--gasp!--miss Picture Day on Thursday. But being laid up for a little while gives Nancy the chance to learn all about poison ivy and become a true expert so the same thing doesn't happen again in the future. And, thanks to a home remedy from her neighbour, she recovers quickly.

I thought it was kind of cute that Nancy doesn't know it all (she can sometimes think she does). I wasn't sure about the jewelweed remedy that the neighbour gives that seems to magically clear up the itch. I thought it sounded made up. But when I looked it up, I found that it's actually a natural remedy for poison ivy! (Who knew you could learn something from a seemingly frivolous children's picture book?)

Nancy is as fancy as ever, even managing to stay accessorized when she's itchy in bed. I also like the inclusion of the drawings from real second-graders in Nancy's journal.

This is another nice Fancy Nancy story that is likely to teach readers a few things they didn't already know.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5