Fancy Nancy books always catch my eye because they are always colorful and full of bright and beautiful illustrations. Also I love how author Jane O'Connor always gives the definition of the difficult words she uses when telling the story. In this story Fancy Nancy is giving an assignment by her teacher to write her very own poem. She comes up with this great idea to do a survey and ask people she know what their favorite poems were. After having writers block, she finds her inspiration from birthday cards. This is a great book to teach younger children about writing poetry and expressing themselves. ( )

Children's Poetry, Jane O'Conner, Postive message, Rhymes ( )

Fancy Nancy is learning about poetry in school. When she is assigned to create her own poem, Nancy has writer's block and is uncertain what to write about. Seeking guidance, she talks to her teacher about different types of poems and compiling ideas. She eventually finds her inspiration and creates her own poem.
I love that this book integrates various types of poems into the story. The author doesn’t simply list facts about poetry, she incorporates it into the story in such a unique and effective manner. This book could not only be used as a tool for teaching the basics of poetry, but also a great way to spark creativity and inspire children to write. I used to write poetry in high school and absolutely loved it. As an adult, this book got me enthusiastic about starting to write again. This is a fun, quirky story about finding enjoyment, passion, and inspiration through writing. ( )

Fancy Nancy returns in this second partly fictional, partly non-fictional picture-book, following upon Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire!. This installment of the sub-series - these are smaller books than the full-sized Fancy Nancy picture-books, and are not completely fictional, as those stories are - focuses on poetry: what it is, what styles it encompasses, and how to write it. As Nancy's class at school focuses on the subject, our favorite fancy heroine attempts to write a poem of her own, only to struggle with the assignment. Will she be able to get over her writer's block...?

Like its predecessor, Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire! manages to be both informative and entertaining, describing various poems, poets, and poetic forms. There is a section at the rear which includes a selection of poems, many of them written for children. These include: Five Little Pumpkins, X.J. Kennedy's In the Motel, Douglas Florian's Picking Berries, Marie Louise Allen's First Snow, Arnold Lobel's Polliwog School, and Jack Prelutsky's As Soon As Fred Gets Out of Bed. The artwork by Robin Preiss Glasser is every bit as appealing here as in previous titles. All in all, a sweet addition to the body of Fancy Nancy stories. My only quibble would be that the author mentions that Nancy's mother's favorite poem is Edgar Allan Poe's Annabel Lee (which was one of my own favorites as a girl), but it isn't quoted in the story like the others, nor is it included at the rear. Leaving aside that oversight, this is one I enjoyed, and that I would recommend to Fancy Nancy fans, and young would-be poets. ( )

This is a great book to read to a classroom especially if you are teaching or learning about poetry. I love how this book talks about different kinds of poetry as well as putting poems in the book r=written by the kids in the class. At first Nancy couldnt come up with a poem but when she did it was awesome and it shows kids not to give up and be patient. You don't want to rush art. It will come to you. ( )