Review - Fancy Nancy

Fancy Nancy (Fancy Nancy)
by Jane O'Connor
illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
Date: 2005
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover
Source: library

Meet Nancy, who believes that more is ALWAYS better when it comes to being fancy. From the top of her tiara down to her sparkly studded shoes, Nancy is determined to teach her family a thing or two about being fancy and using fancy words.

How Nancy transforms her parents and little sister for one enchanted evening makes for a story that is funny and warm—with or without the frills.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I've been working my way through our library's collection of Fancy Nancy e-books, but I'm getting close to the end. It was time to turn to the hardcovers, so I reserved a few. Last night, my mom and I sat down together to read some children's picture books. Why not? I think we both enjoyed them. My mom said my sister and I probably would've loved these books when we were little, and I concur (that's fancy for "agree").

We started with Fancy Nancy, which is apparently where the whole story begins. We even get to see Nancy's bedroom before she made it fancy. The premise is that Nancy is a fancy little girl... and the only fancy person in her family. So she tries to change that by giving her family (her mom, dad, and younger sister) lessons in being fancy. They play along, getting all dolled up and eventually going out to the local pizza parlour for dinner like royalty. But after a little mishap, Nancy realizes that being fancy is not the most important thing, and that love--which needs no fancier word--is even better.

I think I appreciated reading this in hardcover more than I would've in e-book format. The book is fairly large, so it's easy (and fun!) to look at all the wonderful stuff going on in all the pictures. I loved watching JoJo copy everything Nancy did; she obviously looks up to her big sister!

I haven't been as enamoured with some of the other Fancy Nancy picture books. Maybe if I'd read them in hardcover (or read them first) I might've liked them more than I did. But this one is absolutely charming. Nancy is quite a character, flamboyant and stylish, a kid who really knows what she likes. But she's also just a little girl, and subject to the emotions and pitfalls of childhood. This is a sweet little book with a nice overall message and lovely pictures to look at. Now, more than ever, I'm really glad I started reading these books!

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5