00010210

If just one child is saved from the perils of eating too much and then riding a school bus, this book has earned its place on the shelves of first-grade classrooms. The educational bits about the museum and the fancy words was nice, too. ( )

I love Fancy Nancy. :) ( )

In this book in the Fancy Nancy series, Nancy’s class is on its way to a field trip at the museum, when Nancy gets sick on a bumpy bus ride. Upset because she had dressed up for the occasion, Nancy’s day turns around after a special gift from her teacher. Nancy thanks her after the day is over by painting a picture of her and Nancy. An “I Can Read” level one book, this book has short, simple sentences, white space around the text, and a plot that is relevant to young readers (going on a school field trip). If the vocabulary is not simple enough for young readers to understand, the definitions of the words are written out in the text or clarified through the illustrations. For example, Nancy’s teacher says, “Today we will see masterpieces! That’s a fancy word for great paintings” (p. 7). There is also a glossary in the back of the book that defines the difficult, or “fancy,” words that are in the book, such as “lavender” and “overjoyed,” while providing French pronunciations for “beret” and “merci.” Detailed, colorful illustrations complement the text. This book is recommended for libraries, particularly if they have other books in the Fancy Nancy series. ( )

Nancy likes to make everything to be fancy. She uses fancy words for simple things, adorns herself in fancy clothes and accessories, and delights in flourishes, sparkles, and hyperbole. In this I Can Read! level 1 book, Nancy is going on a field trip to an art museum. She has dressed up for the occassion and is really excited, but on the bus trip she gets sick. Nancy is really upset because she gets some vomit on her fancy clothes, but her teacher Ms. Glass saves the day. Nancy goes on to enjoy the art museum in all its fanciness and paints a picture for Ms. Glass to thank her.
Beginning readers, especially those who enjoyed having Fancy Nancy picture books read to them, will enjoy and appreciate this Level 1 book. Sentences are short or broken up into short lines, the plot is relevant to their lives, and the vocabulary is mostly simple and supported by illustrations or other contextual clues. The author has skillfully incorporated the types of long or unusual "fancy" words that Nancy is so fond of by having Nancy explain many of them in parentheses, e.g. "I am overjoyed. (That's a fancy word for very happy.)," or having the adults in the book define unfamiliar words in a teacherly manner, such as when Ms. Glass tells the class "Today we will see masterpieces! That's a fancy word for great paintings." There is also a glossary at the back that defines the eleven "fancy words" in the book, including pronunciations for the French words "beret" and "merci." The in-text definitions and the glossary can help teach vocabularly-building strategies for young readers when teachers and parents model their use and encourage young readers to find out the meanings of unfamiliar words in other books by asking or looking in the glossary or a dictionary.
This story is exciting and likely to hold the interest of girls between the ages of five and seven, as the field-trip storyline may not be relevant to younger readers even if they are reading at this level and older children may seek more detailed plots. Full-color illustrations support the story without dominating pages or interfering with the text. This is a great early-reader choice for children's and elementary school libraries. ( )