Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy

Book material is excellent - condition not as expected. Listed as very good condition but arrived with many cover drawings and color markings.

Or Fancy Nancy goes to the animal shelter ...but not until she "tries out" a posh puppy. Writer Jane O'Connor and illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser have teamed again to create another winner in the Fancy Nancy series, a personal favorite. (Meaning: I buy a copy for my school library with library money and for me with my money and another copy for my great-niece!) Fancy Nancy Clancy establishes herself in the first book, Fancy Nancy: 2009 Wall Calendar as the only member of her family who likes to dress "fancy." Nancy's neighbor Mrs. DeVine is also fancy, revealing the possible source of the posh-ity. (Pardon the use of the wall calendar to exemplify the first book. I used it because the little product insertion button did not produce a copy of the first book but instead a calendar based on the book. Go figure.) At any rate this fascination with poshness is a wonderful opportunity for detailed artwork created by the talented Robin Preiss Glasser, who uses the most feminine art to represent Fancy Nancy. As a former ballet dancer, she injects so many little ballet items into the story. I delight in this story as much for the art as the story. Little girls feel the same way. It's a popular and beloved series. In this story Fancy Nancy wants a papillon just like Mrs. DeVine's Jewel. She lets Nancy puppysit to test her out. What a disappointment. This is not a dog--it's a pampered little living doll. After Jewel excretes her stomach contents onto Nancy's dress, they take her back to Mrs. DeVine. Nancy's parents take a bedraggled, disappointed Nancy to the local King's Crown for dinner. Nancy is so sad she cannot even walk on her toes. But Mom has a surprise. After dinner they go to the local animal shelter to get a real puppy. Of course, Nancy asks for a fancy dog--and gets one. This perfect dog satisfies everyone: curly hair for fancy, medium size and lively for everyone else. She is Frenchie, a LaSalle Spaniel and is the perfect "fancy" dog. I rarely summarize the entire story, but decided this series is just right for such a move. Every message is perfect. Nothing fancy here--just supportive and thoughtful parents, a favorite older neighbor, diverse friends, and acceptance of people for who and what they are. And in this particular story, a visit to the animal shelter for adoption. What a grand series! Nothing fancy there except this delightful little girl!

I read (and thoroughly enjoyed) the original "Fancy Nancy." Nancy is a little girl I could relate to, after all, I completely understood what she means when she says, "Its hard being the only fancy person in the family." And Nancy has it easier than I did! I had four brothers and a tom-boy sister! She can only IMAGINE such odds. You can see I take Nancy to be very real, as the lively, colorful illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser show her to be. I have seen other children's picture books with almost frightening exagerrated faces. I was scanning for books little girls would enjoy and Fancy Nancy, in both story-lines and appearance is one who would "fit" for a girl "like me." This simple story highlights the search of Nancy's family for a puppy that will fit their lifestyle. Nancy has an idea to puppy sit for a neighbor's papillon. The Dog Party she hosts is only somewhat successful and Nancy learns an important lesson as a result. Before you mistake this as all pure fancy, Jane O'Connor also weaves in a fancy vocabulary word or two. Ecstatic (a fancy word for happy) Pappillon (French for Butterfly) and Unique (One-of-a-kind, which Nancy admits may be even BETTER than fancy!) Once again, Jane O'Connor hits the right mark with this book. Fancy girls, unite and rejoice. There is a book especially for us to enjoy.

We also have the first "Fancy Nancy" and I am so pleased that the illustrations are still top notch and the story is innocent but with a message: 1) Solving problems: Nancy dog-sits to "try on" a papillion, while her parents look in resource books for a best breed. 2)Sibling rivlary solution Nancy learns that her younger sister was trying to be helpful while dogsitting and how to get along 3) Adopting a pet. I am a big proponent on shelter adoptions, unless you absolutely have to have a pure breed pet. The parents of this book show wisdom and patience, while letting Nancy learn social skills without crushing her fancyness. Can't wait till the next title.

My granddaughter and I just love this book. The graphics in it are absolutely wonderful. Now we call her little crowns "tiara's". It is a lot for a 3 year old to absorb but that makes it also fun as we take a few pages a day and discuss everything that is on the page. We also purchased her second book and I understand that a third is on it's way. Magnificent,a fancy word for Hurray!

And boy am I glad to see her! I bought the first sparkley "Fancy Nancy" for my 3 year old granddaughter, Mary Mace, and she LOVES the book. It's one of her favorites. I pre-ordered this one and Mary Mace got it the day after her baby brother was born! Her Daddy read it to her right away and she adored the story of the posh puppy. In fact, when they all were leaving the hospital to bring the new baby home, Mary's Daddy said to her Mom: "What's the matter . . are you sad to leave this *posh* room?" LOL! Mary Mace explained to her Mom that posh was a fancy word for fancy. Ahem! Even Daddy's can learn new words. The story is about Nancy's neighbor getting a fancy dog called a Papillon. Nancy decides she wants one, too, that is until she 'babysits' the dog and realizes that it's not as much fun as her friends' plain old dogs because it doesn't like to play and fetch. It just likes to sit around looking pretty all day! So Nancy's Mom takes her to the animal shelter where she finds a Poodle named "Frenchie" who is just right for her. This is a fabulous book with a great moral and the artwork is magnificent. A perfect book for any little boy or girl who loves stories.