Parents' Guide to

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy

By Patricia Tauzer, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Fun story shows that being unique is truly posh!

Book Jane O'Connor Picture Book 2007
Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy Poster Image

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age 5+

Based on 1 parent review

PirateMom
PirateMom Parent of 5-year-old
April 22, 2010
age 5+

Great alternative to "princess" worship

When I first saw the Fancy Nancy merchandise I was not impressed - too much stuff! But then I actually read the books, and they won my heart. Far from being materialistic, Nancy is a creative kid who fashions "fancification" from everyday objects, is curious and thoughtful, and loves new ideas and new words. All in all, a great role model for my princess-obsessed daughter (who now looooooves Nancy). We will never move to a palace, but we did decorate her room "Fancy Nancy style" with garlands of tinsel from our tree and the bows that came on our Christmas presents!

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What's the Story?

When her family decides to get a dog, Fancy Nancy has her own idea of what kind of puppy will fit into her posh lifestyle. Naturally, her sensible, down-to-earth family has other ideas. After sitting for her neighbor's very delicate, glamorous papillon, she learns an important lesson about the value of just being unique.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Fancy Nancy has that kind of independent spirit you hope every kid will develop and hold on to, and her exuberant, dramatic spirit shines in this book. FANCY NANCY AND THE POSH PUPPY is not just about wearing fancy dresses and acting glamorous. It's about making decisions and living with the consequences, the support of family members, working out differences, and giving people room to be themselves. It's also about enjoying the life that erupts around independent spirits, and having fun, even when things don't work out as you expected.

It's also about the words: As in the first book, new, exciting words are thrown in to glam up the story, and the pages are packed with fancy details that are both frilly and humorous. Kids will enjoy the word play, the silly scenes, and all of Nancy's very posh outfits. And everyone will appreciate the way this story turns out.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about all of the fancy words in this book: ecstatic, ensembles, spectacular, posh, exhausted, unique ... They also can discuss different breeds of dogs: What makes each different? What kind do they think would be best for Fancy Nancy and her family? Why was the papillon the wrong choice? What was different about the dog they did choose? What kind of dog would fit into your family best? Families also might discuss ways to make decisions. Why did Fancy Nancy's family disagree and how did they finally make their decision about which dog was best for them? Does your family ever disagree? How do you decide what is best?

Book Details

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