Review - Fancy Nancy: The Case of the Disappearing Doll

Fancy Nancy: The Case of the Disappearing Doll (Fancy Nancy)
adapted by Nancy Parent
illustrated by the Disney Storybook Art Team
Date: 2019
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover
Source: library

It’s time for a tea party, but Nancy’s doll, Marabelle, is nowhere to be found! Nancy and Bree will have to be sleuths (which is a fancy way of saying people who solve mysteries!) to crack the case of the disappearing doll.

Disney Junior’s Fancy Nancy: The Case of the Disappearing Doll is a Level One I Can Read, perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.

Disney Junior’s Fancy Nancy is an animated family comedy starring six-year-old Nancy, a girl who is fancy in everything from her advanced vocabulary to her creative, elaborate attire. The show is based on the New York Times bestselling book series Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I enjoyed this book a little more than some of the other Disney-fied Fancy Nancy titles, but it still doesn't hold up very well against the original storybooks.

In this story, Nancy's doll goes missing. She searches everywhere, and even accuses a few people of taking her (true to form, though, she apologizes when she finds out she's wrong; Nancy is, if nothing else, a nice kid). Eventually, Nancy and Bree solve the case and everyone lives happily ever after.

There are some nice "fancy" words in this one, so that's a plus. But I'm still not a huge fan of the way these characters are drawn. Nancy is nowhere near as fancy as in the original books, and Bree has lost some of her funky style that I loved so much. (She's drawn with more distinctive features in the original books, and her hair is a wonderful, ever-changing mass of butterflies, braids, and various other fancy things. In the Disney version, though, she just has a couple of plain hair puffs, and her features are very similar to Nancy's. I don't know if I'd go as far as saying she's been whitewashed, but she's definitely lost... something.)

Overall, this isn't the worst of the Disney Fancy Nancy books, but it's not the best. I'd recommend sticking with the original storybooks (or the I Can Read! titles with the original style of illustrations) unless you're a die-hard fan of the TV show.

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 2.83 out of 5

Review - Fancy Nancy: Mademoiselle Mom

Fancy Nancy: Mademoiselle Mom (Fancy Nancy)
adapted by Nancy Parent
illustrated by the Disney Storybook Art Team
Date: 2019
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover
Source: library

When Mom gets sniffles that are worse than awful, Nancy decides she can help Mom by tidying up and watching JoJo. After all, Nancy is practically an expert at being a big sister, so how hard could it be?

Disney Junior’s Fancy Nancy: Mademoiselle Mom is a Level One I Can Read, perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.

Disney Junior’s Fancy Nancy is an animated family comedy starring six-year-old Nancy, a girl who is fancy in everything from her advanced vocabulary to her creative, elaborate attire. The show is based on the New York Times bestselling book series Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

These books simply lack the magic of the original storybook series. They're not even as good as the other I Can Read! titles by Jane O'Connor.

In this book, Nancy basically babysits JoJo while her mom takes a nap. But all JoJo wants to do is be with her mom. So Nancy's busy trying to keep her little sister downstairs, happy, and fed. She tries multitasking, but it ends in the kitchen being flooded with soap suds, the dog eating JoJo's snack, and Dad needing to step in to save the day.

The "fancy" words in this book are mainly French words, which kind of defeats the purpose of teaching children new English vocabulary. I was disappointed in that aspect of the book.

I keep reading these Disney-fied Fancy Nancy books, hoping they'll be better than they ultimately are. With the exception of Fancy Nancy: My Fanciest Things, I haven't really liked the books featuring this version of Nancy Clancy very much at all.

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

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5

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

Review - Fancy Nancy: Nancy Makes Her Mark

Fancy Nancy: Nancy Makes Her Mark (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

When Dad makes a plan to fix the walkway in front of their house with new cement, Nancy knows just how to make the walkway parfait--which is French for perfect!

Disney Junior's Fancy Nancy: Nancy Makes Her Mark is a Level One I Can Read, perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.

Disney Junior's Fancy Nancy is an animated family comedy starring six-year-old Nancy, a girl who is fancy in everything from her advanced vocabulary to her creative, elaborate attire. The show is based on the New York Times bestselling book series Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Here's a fancy word that describes this book: "unnecessary". I'm not much of a fan of tie-ins, but I was curious. This book lacks pretty much all of the charm of the original Fancy Nancy books and relies instead on an insipid plot and cartoonish illustrations to try to cash in.

The story here is basically that Nancy's dad is fixing the walkway with cement, and Nancy and her friend Bree want to put their handprints and footprints in the wet cement like celebrities. Of course, nothing goes according to plan, and the cement gets wrecked, necessitating a fix from the dad (who seems weirdly okay with having to redo the whole thing).

All the familiar characters are here, and while they're cute, they're not as interesting to look at as in the main series of books. Nancy and Bree are nowhere near as fancy; they usually have copious amounts of butterflies or flowers in their hair, but here they're curiously unadorned. Aside from the lacklustre plot (which I've already mentioned), there were only three "fancy" words, and the definitions that were given were questionable for two of them: "memorable" doesn't really mean "famous forever" and "devastated" is not the same as "disappointed" (if it were, then I'd be "devastated" by this book).

Skip this and go to the originals. Fancy Nancy is at her best when she's quirky and fun. This is just too slick and sanitized for my taste.

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

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5