Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor
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Book Reviews of Fancy Nancy
Book Review: Completely and utterly charming!:5++
Summary: 5 Stars
After running across Fancy Nancy while surfing amazon.com, I went to Borders Bookstore to see it in the flesh and was instantly captivated. It's a good-sized picture book with the most remarkable illustrations imaginable! There's even glitter incorporated into the book's cover. Having a "fancy nancy" granddaughter who turns five later this month, it will make the perfect gift (and if I ever need an illustrator I'm calling on Robin Priess Glasser!!).
Jane O'Connor's story is about a little girl who loves being fancy (you should see her room!). No one seems to understand that lace-trimmed shoes do help her play soccer better, and sandwiches definitely taste better with frilly toothpicks stuck in them; but, Nancy eventually convinces her unfancy family to fancy up and go out to dinner one evening. They all have a great time until disaster falls (well, not really a big deal in the scheme of things, but certainly so to a very young fancy lady). She finds out her family still loves her even when they all end up covered in ice cream sundaes...oops, I mean parfaits. She also learns that there's no fancy way to tell someone you love him/her, except to say, "I love you."
This book is precious beyond words. I'm having second thoughts about parting with it. I might have to get another copy for my little one. Oh yes, and it's up for a Quill award (consumer choice award)in the best children's illustrated book category. The awards take place this very next week (Oct 10) in New York City.
One thing I know for sure: I know how I'm going to fancy up my black pumps when my husband and I go steppin' out tonight!
Carolyn Rowe Hill
Book Review: Detractors miss the point!
Summary: 5 Stars
First off... Fabulous book with great vocabulary; it will certainly introduce several new words to most three- and four-year-olds. And the marvelous illustrations allow children to find new elements with each reading.
I think the book's detractors are really missing the point here. (As of this writing there are only two one-star reviews and dozens of 4- and 5-star ratings, with nobody at all giving the book a lukewarm 2 or 3 stars.)
What the book's detractors fail to recognize is that the book does not denigrate non-fanciness. In fact, Nancy's fanciness is not acquired through lavish spending but from creatively finding random household items like feather dusters, brooms, and xmas ornaments to use as decorations. It shows that a family can function filled with love while including both its drama queen child and its less dramatic members. They all are part of the same family and love each other despite their differences, and that's what families are about. It is a cute reminder to parents that children go through phases (a "ballerina phase" or a "no-condiment-on-my-hot-dogs phase", etc.). Humoring a child every once in a while to acknowlege her current trend (which WILL pass) is not the same as chronically indulging a spoiled child. The former makes the child feel like someone is listening to what is important to her; the latter just creates a brat.
I feel sorry for the kids whose parents won't ever humor their creativity during their current phase. The one-star reviewers really need to lighten up!
Book Review: Ohh Laa Laa! - That's a fancy way of saying Wow!
Summary: 5 Stars
"What is a fancy girl to do?" Read this book, that's what! Nancy is the litterary embodiment of every girls need to beautify, glamorize and ultimately accessorize our worlds! In this adorable (that's a fancy way of saying "cute") book we meet Nancy (who loves to be fancy)and her very plain family. When Nancy gets a "stupendous" idea (that's a fancy word for "great") to teach her family to be fancy they can't wait to get started. This is a wonderful story that speaks to the heart of every little girl with a "fancy" flair. It tells us that it's ok to be a little different and to share ourselves with the ones we love most - and when things don't go exactly as we plan , our family is always there to pick us back up because they love us. Beautifully illustrated by Robin Priess Glasser, Jane O'Connor's story is brought to life and given another layer of depth that speaks to even the youngest of readers. This is my 3 year-olds FAVORITE book, in fact she has given it as a gift to many of her friends. I will leave you with O'Connor's last lines to summ up this fantastic mother-daughter bonding experience. "And all I say back is, 'I love you.' Because there isn't a fancy - or better - way of saying that."Book Review: An Unexpected Gem
Summary: 5 Stars
OK, full disclosure: I saw this book in a store window and I bought it because my daughter's name is Nancy. My wife was against the book because she didn't want to encourage our girl to be too "fancy." Turns out, she needn't have worried. This isn't really a book about being fancy. It's a book about being yourself and your family accepting who you are, if all that fits in a book for pre-school kids.
Yes, Nancy likes things fancy. (She has clever lines like "Then I get an idea that is stupendous. That's a fancy word for great." and "Lace-trimmed socks do help me to play soccer better.") She's disappointed the others in her family aren't as fancy as she. So she offers "fancy" lessons to her family and they all attend. Then they go out for a "fancy" dinner to a local diner. It's all very sweet, actually.
And it's worth mentioning that the illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser are beautiful. (I'd say "fancy," but that doesn't seem to strike the write note concerning these gorgeous pictures.) All in all, this is a book about a loving family that should be shared in loving families.
Book Review: Fancy Nancy is Stupendous!
Summary: 5 Stars
My four-year-old daughter loves this book. Yes, she is in her own fancy stage and relates to the book's protagonist. But there is so much more to this story than the surface narrative. The illustrations, for example, are almost a parallel story in themselves. My daughter loves to point out how Nancy's toddler sister tries to copy everything her very cool, very fancy big sister does. And the way the book opens on Nancy's room before and after it was made fancy provides a wonderful opportunity to point out the differences, AND (for the reviewer who thinks this book is all about materialism and consumption)a lot of laughs about how inexpensively, simply and ingeniously that fanciness was achieved. Nancy's family is wonderfully supportive and loving. When she advertises a "How to Be Fancy" class on the refrigerator, the whole family drops what they're doing, shows up, listens and takes notes. This is a terrific story that encourages kids, especially girls, to be confident in their choices, makes it ok to be an individual and reminds them of the power of family.