Review - Fancy Nancy: Spring Fashion Fling

Fancy Nancy: Spring Fashion Fling (Fancy Nancy)
by Jane O'Connor
illustrated by Carolyn Bracken
Date: 2015
Publisher: HarperFestival
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 24
Format: e-book
Source: library

What better way to celebrate spring than with a fashion show hosted by Fancy Nancy and her friend Bree! Nancy and Bree create magnificent costumes for their dolls Marabelle and Chiffon to wear at the Spring Fling Fashion Show. Join them as they celebrate springtime in this special storybook adventure from New York Times bestselling team Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I didn't like this Fancy Nancy title much at all. Yes, little girls might like to dress up their dolls and have fashion shows... but Nancy is a wee bit entitled in this book, and it's kind of a turn-off. When she and Bree decide to have their Spring Fashion Fling, they invite all their neighbours... and then inform Nancy's mom that brunch will be served. (It looked like it was a surprise to her, too. Better get busy, Mom!) Also, getting ready for the fashion show is the main part of the story, so there's not a lot of plot. Even after something goes wrong, there's really no solution, per se; they just continue. The book ends with all the adults drinking champagne. (Well, Nancy's mom probably needs to drink at this point; she must be exhausted after throwing together a last-minute brunch for eight people.)

The illustrations are done by yet another artist, and I really don't like them. There's something about the way the faces are drawn in this book that's a bit too simple... or something. JoJo is usually really cute; here, though, she's just a generic toddler. (Oh, and Mom and Dad showed up for brunch in the clothes they were wearing for gardening, while all the other guests were dressed nicely. I'm not sure if they were too lazy to get changed... or if the author was too lazy to draw them in something else!)

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 2.83 out of 5