Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire!

Calling all poets!

Fancy Nancy Clancy is so poetic, even her name rhymes. And with limericks, couplets, free verse, and more, poetry is plenty fancy! So when her teacher Ms. Glass gives Nancy and her classmates an assignment to come up with their very own poems, Nancy is determined to write one that is superb. But what happens when she can't think of a good idea?

Complete with Nancy's very own poetry anthology, Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire! shows how a true love of words can be trÈs fancy. Ooh la la! And with a little inspiration, which is fancy for something that helps you get good ideas, Fancy Nancy just might be a Poet Extraordinaire after all.

Children's Literature

Fancy Nancy's name rhymes, so she is "naturally poetic," and in this introduction to poetry, she shows her fans how they can write and appreciate poetry as well. Nancy shows off her family and friend's favorite poems and offers examples from a class "poet-tree" project in which each student writes a short poem on a construction paper leaf. She even creates an anthology of her own favorite poems. Writing poetry is easy for Nancy's best friend Bree, but despite having all the necessary tools (like "a pen with a plume" and a notebook with a "glittery cover"), Nancy just cannot find her muse until her teacher urges her just to write without worrying about the rules. During Nancy's exploration of poetry, she defines some important terms such as "couplet" and "ode" and offers examples of highly structured poems such as limericks as well as non-rhyming poems. Robin Preiss Glasser's characteristically cheerful, pink-hued illustrations contribute plenty of humor. Fancy Nancy's many young fans are sure to try their own hand at poetry—or at least seek out other examples of poetry to read—after reading Nancy's inspiring tale. Reviewer: Norah Piehl