Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire!

With a name like Fancy Nancy, you know the girl in this story is going to get a kick out of poetry - and, with any luck, her enthusiasm for poems will spread to young readers just beginning to understand the true magic of words and reading. I must say I found Fancy Nancy Poet Extraordinaire! to be an excellent children's book. A number of modern books in this genre are, from my adult perspective, full of gibberish and nonsense with no interconnecting theme or unifying goal. This particular book, though, actually tells a story and incorporates poetry of various kinds into that story in a most effective way. Robin Preiss Glasser's beautiful illustrations will surely add even more to children's enjoyment of Jane O'Connor's story. Fancy Nancy's class is studying poetry, and each student has to compose a poem of his/her own. Nancy wants to write a great poem that will please her teacher, Miss Glass. Unsure what to write about, she begins compiling a collection of favorite poems from her friends and family along with a couple of sample poems written by her fellow students. As she goes about compiling this personal book of poems, she seeks and eventually finds the inspiration she needs to write a good poem of her own. Readers learn that poems can be fun, that they don't have to rhyme, that rhythm is an essential component of a good poem, that there are several different types of poetry (such as limericks and odes), the meaning of inspiration - and, most importantly, the fact that reading and writing poetry can be fun. I'm not sure how many boys are going to want to sit down with a Fancy Nancy book (since, as a girl, she presumably has cooties), but the books in this series really are wonderful books for parents to share with their younger children.

As a poetry-lover from my youth, I've eagerly awaited the arrival of this newest "Fancy Nancy" book to give to my 6 year old granddaughter, Mary Mace. She has every book in this series and adores them all. As fate would have it, the book arrived a week before my daughter (Mary Mace's mother) was to teach about poetry to her 4th grade class! She read the book to Mary Mace and was so inspired by the idea of the "poet-tree" made by Nancy's teacher, Mrs. Glass, that she made one for her own class. She made the trunk of the tree from the class's poems, the leaves were related vocabulary words, and she added acorns with her comments. The tree was such a huge hit that almost every other teacher in the school 'borrowed' the idea from her!! She told them how great "Fancy Nancy" is and how much she's helped our Mary Mace to develop an advanced vocabulary for a kindergartener. I'd like to thank Ms. O'Connor and the amazing illustrator, Ms.Robin Preiss Glasser, for such consistently fabulous work. These books will not only entertain your children, but will also teach them new and exciting words.

Fancy Nancy has a class assignment. First, she surveys family and friends to find out their favorite poem, and then, she and her classmates must write poems. What could be more delightfully fancy than poetry? With her fancy toga outfit, fancy writing paraphernalia and even a poetry palace club, Nancy is all set to become a poet extraordinaire! Fancy Nancy explores all the aspects of poetry from inspiration to the writer's block she faces. Will Fancy Nancy find the inspiration she needs? FANCY NANCY POET EXTRAORDINAIRE! makes poetry and its vocabulary not only accessible but downright fun. Jane O'Connor uses examples of rhyming poems and non-rhyming poems, nursery rhymes, limericks, greeting card poems, lyrics and odes to illustrate the variety of poetry. Even words like anonymous, inspiration, lyrical and anthology become meaningful from the situations created and the accompanying illustrations. Robin Preiss Glasser's illustrations are delightful! Jane O'Connor includes poems about everyday events and items such as eating pizza and even underwear that give the book a sense of humor that demystifies the world of poetry and the hesitation some might feel towards poetry. FANCY NANCY POET EXTRAORDINAIRE! is a pure delight for children and even for parents to share with children by reading aloud. Sparkly glitter on the dust jacket creates a festive atmosphere alongside the Roman costumes worn by Fancy Nancy and company. A short anthology of 6 of Fancy Nancy's favorite poems is included. FANCY NANCY POET EXTRAORDINAIRE! includes several activities for children that can be done at home with the family or in the classroom. Best of all, while showing the fancy, fanciful world of poetry, Jane O'Connor also makes poetry real and approachable. FANCY NANCY POET EXTRAORDINAIRE! will appeal to a wide variety of children, but if by chance, you are a parent who is an English teacher or an author, this book is a must to share with your children! Courtesy of Book Illuminations

Fancy Nancy and her friends are back! This time her class is learning about poetry. As you read this book you can learn about all type of poems along with Nancy. Some of the types of poems that are covered are free verse, couplet, and limericks. After the story Nancy includes an anthology of poems written by her class. This is a very cute book. A must read for all little Fancy Nancy fans!

At our home we eagerly await each new Fancy Nancy book and Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire! is finally here! Nancy has a class assignment which has her class asking each person they come across "What is your favorite poem?" Like most Fancy Nancy books there are a lot of opportunities to enhance your child's vocabulary and learn about the topic the book presents. For instance, Nancy's sister's favorite poem is a nursery rhyme and her dad's favorite is Bob Dylan's Blowing in the Wind. Her mom likes Poe's Annabel Lee. Grandpa likes limericks. After all of her research, Fancy Nancy now has to write her own poem, but oh no...can she come up with an idea??? Ooh la la, Nancy goes into creative mode!