Fancy Nancy
by Jane O'Connor
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Book Reviews of Fancy Nancy
Book Review: Banish Eloise. Welcome Nancy.
Summary: 5 Stars
Eloise doesn't translate to the new millennium. The Plaza's gone to hotel heaven; might we interest you in a condo? Anyway, a spoiled child terrorizing well-meaning employees is no longer charming. (Was it ever?) And as for Eloise's absentee mother....
Still, girls love the core aspect of Eloise: dress-up and pretend. I learned this the hard way when I publicly declared our daughter was destined to go through life as a tomboy. Yes, she was --- when she was three. But now she is five and changing clothes a dozen times a day. And she loves "Fancy Nancy."
"Fancy Nancy" is about to become an industry. There's already a sequel, and I see a slew of books coming, not to mention dolls and accessories. But we still have time to give our daughters a healthy dose of this charming little girl before we're inundated by Nancyana.
What's great about Nancy is that she's no raving beauty. She's got curly hair and a bit of a pudge. What makes her special is her love of frills and bows, satins and silks. She's covered her walls with travel posters and fashion pictures. Her dress-up chest is overflowing. And when we meet her, she's wearing a tutu, ballet shoes --- and a miniature tiara.
Her favorite color: fuscia. Her pen: feathered. Her problem: her family. Very not fancy. "They never even ask for sprinkles."
So Nancy gets a "stupendous" idea. ("That's a fancy word for great.") She'll offer "fancy" lessons.
She puts a note on the refrigerator. Soon there's a knock on her door. Her mother, father and little sister have come to sit at her feet and learn how to be "fancy."
In her parents' room, there's a search for fancy clothes. Of course there are none, so Nancy rushes off for....accessories. And then, with her family hopelessly tarted up, it's out to dinner.
Something happens at dinner to puncture Nancy's grandiosity. In the end, Nancy's a regular girl again. Oh, maybe with a few grand tendencies.
The story's told in short bursts of narrative, all told by Nancy. The illustrations are charming (the sparkles on the cover are especially appreciated). For those who fear the ghost of Eloise has slipped into this next-generation cosmopolitan kid, a real-live 5-year-old and her father can attest that 30 pages of Nancy are not too many at all. And we expect to feel that way until someone here turns 7.
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: A charming tale that will bring the fanciness out in everyone...
Summary: 4 Stars
Nancy has always believed one very important thing: everything is better when it's fancy. However, when it comes down to it, Nancy is the only person in her family who has come to this realization. She's the one who wears a tiara everywhere she goes, orders sprinkles on her ice cream, uses French words in everyday conversations, and wears sparkly, studded shoes with all of her outfits. Now, however, Nancy believes that it's time to spread the fanciness through her family, and decides to teach them the main rules of being fancy, and change them for one enchanted evening, when Nancy will, most certainly, not be the only person who's fancy in her family.
Nancy is a precocious young girl, who quickly embraces all things fancy, and brings the reader flashbacks of the star of the ELOISE series. Jane O'Connor has channeled her inner-six-year-old, and come out with a pint-sized Paris Hilton, who wants nothing more than to shine in a semi-boring world. The illustrations - by Robin Preiss Glasser - which accompany the lovely prose of this enchanting story truly bring the fancy world of Nancy to life. A charming tale that will bring the fanciness out in everyone.
Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper
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."