Day 236: Fancy Nancy

I was never a fancy girl.  (I'm still not.) My mom fondly remembers me proudly dressing myself in purple sweatpants and a Gonzo football sweatshirt. I was one of those children for whom it was strikingly obvious that I had dressed myself -- and fancy, frilly things were never a part of my attire.  My daughter is much like I was in some ways -- fiercely independent, outgoing, silly and fun -- but unlike me, she has a fancy side, too.  She loves to dress up in her princess costumes or the tutus at her school, though sometimes she wears those along with her Patriots jersey, or while working at the tool bench, or while playing outside in the mud.  Love that girl! I had heard of the Fancy Nancy books but had never managed to remember to look them up while at the library until recently.  This one is such fun!

Nancy just LOVES being fancy. Her room is fancy. Her clothes are fancy. She even loves to use fancy words! The problem is, her family isn't fancy at all. They don't even like sprinkles on their ice cream! They just don't seem to understand that lace-trimmed socks do make Nancy play soccer better, and sandwiches definitely taste better with frilly toothpicks in them!  One day, Nancy decides to offer her family fancy lessons, and to her delight, they are eager to attend. She dresses them up in -- "what's that fancy word? Oh yes, accessories!" -- and they head out to a fancy dinner at their favorite restaurant. Her dad acts as the chauffeur -- "that's a fancy work for driver" -- and everyone else at the restaurant must think they are movie stars!  A little misshap with their dessert parfaits leaves Nancy feeling rather unfancy, but it's no matter.  She is thrilled to have had a fancy night out with her family and goes to bed knowing just how much she is loved.

Both of my kids adore this story, and while my daughter has requested it at bedtime each night for over a week now, my son finds it very silly and fun, as well.  It would certainly be a hit with all of the "fancy Nancies" of the world, but I highly recommend it even if you don't have fancy types in your family.  The illustrations are delightful and the "fancy" vocabulary used within the book is excellent, too!  The whole story is charming and sweet, but most of all, I love the message that it's important to love and embrace our children's personalities and passions, even (and especially) if they differ from our own.