by Carly Lejnieks

Created on: March 26, 2009

Fancy Nancy is a revolutionary children's book. It offers a blend of all the right ingredients required to bake a top-of-the-charts book. The fictional story is interesting and engaging for the target audience (primarily young girls). The illustrations are out of this world. They are masterfully created. At some points the pictures even glitter; talk about visual appeal on paper. There is also an educational component to the stories. Nancy, the main character, is enthralled with French and fancy words. As a result, children are exposed (in a brilliantly appealing context) to heightened vocabulary, culture and language. It is Einstein's mother's dream; kudos to

Jane O'Connor, the author, and Robin Preiss-Glasser, the illustrator!

Nancy is posh, just like her puppy. Just when you thought you knew what frills and flamboyance look like, the page is turned and there's more; hats with feathers, parties, invitations, artwork, dresses, and more. The adult reader has opportunities galore to pull the young learner into the story, with picture details that could paint a story all on their own.

In my 15 years of parenting, I am yet to come across a book that exceeds the charm and engaging capacity of Fancy Nancy. My daughter adores the book (I should say "books" - there are a growing number of them). I was first introduced to Fancy Nancy when my daughter brought the book home from school on library day. We read the book countless times over that week. She sadly parted with it the following week when library day hit the calendar again.

Some of Nancy's most appealing traits are her zeal for life, creativity and interest in innocent exploration. She has an insatiable desire to learn by experience. She is joyful and witty. She seems to respect society's boundaries, yet is apt to blow them out of the water with an entirely new and sparkly spin. Nancy is as smart as she is fancy. She is a courteous role model who has parents and a younger sister who seem to marvel at her affectionately; quirks and all.

What I, as a mother, like most about the book Fancy Nancy (including the main character) is that it offers a fabulously entertaining canvas for daughters to explore the unique possibilities in life. It exposes the notion of seeing life outside of the boxy boundaries they are often pre-ordained with. It makes creativity and eccentricity more acceptable and appealing. Nancy is also an adorable and entertaining role model for my daughter. We have great fun reading together. Hands down, it is one of the most favored books to ever be a part of our family library!

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