Parents' Guide to

Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire

By Patricia Tauzer, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Exploring the outdoors, with a Fancy Nancy twist.

Book Jane O'Connor For Beginning Readers 2009
Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 2 parent reviews

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

Nature isn't gross - even the creepy-crawly part

My daughter is not a fan of bugs - in fact, she will scream at the approach of an ant. But she loves this book, and I love the message that exploration and even bugs are "fancy" girl activities. It has given us lots of jumping off points for conversations. I also love the sub-plot about respecting and including younger siblings!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Jadedcup
Jadedcup Parent of 4-year-old
June 12, 2009
age 10+

Not the Nancy I grew to love

I went to go buy this one the moment it came out. I figured my own little 'Fancy Nancy' would love it as much as she does her beginning readers. At the book store I looked it over with my husband and he shook his head. There was plenty of fancy words...but there was little discussion in context to help explain what these word meant. Lots of scientific speak...little of the wonderfully played converational style that 'Nancy' has used before to help tiny readers keep up. Even the book store clerk shook her head and said, "I know...it's not the same. We were left dissapointed in this installment in an otherwise wonderful series.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Fancy Nancy and her friend Bree organize a nature club and set off to explore the world of insects, birds, and plants. They plan what they need, and how they should act as well as taking notes, creating journals with photos and drawings, doing research, and discovering new, exciting words to describe their adventures. Pages include recipes, drawings, and maps as well as tons of information about ants, butterflies, spiders, hummingbirds, and leaves.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Fancy Nancy books are always fun, and spirited, and full of fancy words, just like Nancy herself -- and this particular adventure is all that and more. As with the other books, the main character is an individual, a girl who insists on wearing ribbons, curls, and all kinds of frilly fancy things. Still she is adventurous, strong-willed, and intelligent. In this instance, she is getting her hands into the dirt, checking out spiders and ants, and showing that exploring nature is fun.

Besides showing just how creative a kid can be, this book also addresses relationships with younger siblings. Nancy struggles with whether Freddy and her sister are mature enough to be part of the club, and how and when to include them. And on top of all that, this is a wonderful nature book packed full of information, illustrations, and activities.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about all the things a nature explorer would need, what kinds of rules they would have if they formed a nature club, what they might find, and how they would take care of their discoveries. What do you think of Nancy's rules? Would you have the same ones? What would you have done if people in your club broke the rules? Did you know that queen ants laid all the eggs, that flies had sticky pads on their feet, or that butterflies were different from moths? What new words did you learn?

Book Details

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