Realistic+Fiction





Diary of a Wimpy Kid

By: Jeff Kinney

//Diary of a Wimpy Kid,//[|here.]

//Diary of a Wimpy Kid//

//Diary of a Wimpy Kid//

//Diary of a Wimpy Kid//

really fit the mood and strengthened the book. The illustrations are very believable in that a 6th grader could produce something similar in a journal like the one Greg was keeping. Also, the lined pages added to the format and the sense that you could really be reading a journal. The black and white color scheme was realistic to a journal setting and fit in well. Another positive note for the illustrations is that they portray what is happening in the story very well and could be used as a tool by a struggling reader. A middle schooler who is struggling to read well would be able to use the illustrations to their advantage and not feel like an outcast for reading books that were intended for younger children. It’s a way to maintain some dignity as a struggling reader and a way to improve. As an educator, I would not teach this book in my classroom. Even in a middle school setting, I wouldn’t be comfortable with the choice of humor in the book and I wouldn’t want my students to try and model how Greg acted in the book. I also would be concerned with parents being upset about the choice. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is nowhere near as controversial as, say, the Harry Potter series but you might get some grief from different parents who feel it is an inappropriate book to be taught. In the Jacobs and Tunnell article, it discusses how a teacher needs to encourage books that have both good literary merit and a positive student reaction and try to steer students towards some good literary pieces even if they might not be likely to have the most positive reaction to them. It also discusses how educators need to be understanding of books that students have a positive reaction to, even if they might not be great works of literature. If we don’t, they warn that a rift is likely to occur between the student and the teacher, and the student may not trust the teacher’s advice on books. (Jacobs and Tunnell) That is how I feel about //Diary of a Wimpy Kid//. I don’t think it is a great piece of literature that should be modeled to the entire class but if a student reads it and likes it, I’m not going to tell that student how they shouldn’t have read that story and how I had a negative reaction to it. It is important as a teacher to see the positive. Even if they read a book that you don’t like, at least they are reading recreationally. That is a positive step that you can build upon and grow towards better examples of literature. Even though I do not think that //Diary of a Wimpy Kid// is classroom appropriate, there are some teachers who do. For instance, Alan Sitomer, who was the California Teacher of the Year in 2007, argues that Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a great choice for the classroom. He says, “I know that the state has hired me to teach the content standards. (They clearly say so.) And when they assess my student performance, the material they test is not text specific but rather, standards-based. This means that they are not going to be testing my kids on Kafka, Twain, and Joyce but rather on denotation vs. connotation, theme, tone and so on.” He goes on to say that while he is not arguing to replace Mark Twain’s work with it, he is saying that //Diary of a Wimpy Kid// can teach about literary devices and be enjoyed by most if not all students. Sitomer argues the importance of having fun while learning and achieving. (Sitomer) If you do choose to use this book in your classroom, click [|here] for a link to a resource guide for teachers. //Diary of a Wimpy Kid// is a book that many middle schoolers have read or will read, it is a New York Time’s Best Seller and there is a feature film based on the series coming out soon. It is an entertaining and engaging book for 6th-8th graders and one that is especially helpful with reluctant readers. I do not believe that it is a great piece of literature, but not everything has to be. There is a place for Diary of a Wimpy Kid in our libraries, and whether we like it or not, it is going to be around, and popular, for a while.

References Cornog, M. (2010, March 18). Graphic Novels for Reluctant Readers: 33 Titles. In // Library Journal //. Retrieved February 17, 2011, from http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviewsgraphicnovels/884504-281/graphic_novels_for_reluctant_readers.html.csp Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal Read more on TeacherVision: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/childrens-book/diaries/28677.html#ixzz1EuKokcBj. (2011). In // Teacher Vision //. Retrieved February 17, 2011, from http://www.teachervision.fen.com/childrens-book/diaries/28677.html Jacobs, J.S. & Tunnell, M.O. (1996). Children’s Literature Briefly. Englewood Cliffs: NJ: Prentice Hall. Parker, S. D. (2011, January 5). // Book Review Club: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney //. Retrieved February 17, 2011, from http://scottdparker.blogspot.com/2011/01/book-review-club-diary-of-wimpy-kid-by.html Sitomer, A. L. (2010, March 15). // Diary of a Wimpy Kid – A Smart Choice!! // . Retrieved February 17, 2011, from http://www.alanlawrencesitomer.com/tag/literary-elements/

**Heather Quist** Literary Analysis on collection of books about becoming an older sibling February 2010



Accepting a younger sibling into your life can be difficult for any little kid. Anything to read to them to help them get excited and anticipating this new being in the house is a great way to get them thinking about this new life they are going to be apart of. These collectionsof books go about this huge deal in a funny, yet caring way. The books explore different possibilities as to what is going to change in their child’s life when this new person enters the world yet tend to leave it at everything is going to turn out just fine. The University of Michigan Health article talks about tips for h elping your child adjust and states how important it is to read books about babies and being am older sibling. (Boyse 2009) As a parent, it’s important to let them know that everything will be okay but there are going to be struggles along the way, and I feel these books are lacking that sense.

**//But I Wanted a Baby Brother//** by Kate Feiffer and Diane Goode is a compelling story of a young boy that is faced with the fact that he got a baby sister when he wanted a baby brother. The book talks about how he goes to all these places to trade in his baby sister for a brother but none of the other babies quite measure up to how awesome his sister really is. The book ends by him accepting the fact that he has a sister and the parents announce they are having another baby and then finds out it’s another girl…but this time he is okay with it. Feiffer and Goode use cartoon drawings to go along with each section of text. The illustrations are light and bright and have captions that go along with the text showing that everything is always good and never bad. When in reality this boy is truly hurt that he can’t have a baby brother and is now stuck with this thing called a girl. Publishers Weekly stated, “Her Lilly Pulitzer palette offers plenty of visual clues that a happy ending is on the way.” (Publishers Weekly, May 2010) The colors suggest everything is okay and will end good. I agree with publishers weekly but think that the illustrations should show the struggle and not always be bright and happy when the child is experiencing mad emotions. This type of illustration demonstrates that this book would be meant for an older sibling such as a first grader or above and I feel does not fit in with quality illustrations. I think that the amount of words and captions are a bit overwhelming for a kid younger than that. This story’s plot had a sense that would seem to have dealt with the fact that you don’t get to choose if you have a boy or girl but it went about it in such a fantasy way that I feel children would be left confused. The fact that they go to different places looking to trade the sister sends a message to kids that you can trade your sibling in. This doesn’t help them deal with the fact that no, you can’t trade your sibling in so you need to learn to accept the baby for who they are and grow to love them.

**//I’m a big sister now//** by Joanne Cole is a story about becoming a big sister and the jobs and reality of that come along with the role. The story tells what the baby can and can’t do, and how when you are big you can do those things. It talks about what the babies like to do and how you can listen for their cries as a way of them telling you what they need. The book shows that the child is still special to the mom and dad and is special to the younger sibling as well. I felt that this book was a heart-warming book that dealt with the issues that the child will face with the arrival of a new baby. The fact that it told what the baby does and why it cries so much and how to help, demonstrates that it’s a great book to read to a soon to be big sister or brother because it gives them a sense for what the baby is going to be all about. I felt that it truly was heart felt because it showed the little girl that the mommy and daddy still care and love her just as much as they did before the new baby arrived and how her role as a big sister allows her to help her younger sister. The illustrations in this book are cartoon characters with bright colors that demonstrate exactly what the text is saying. They measure up to be quality illustrations. This allows the child to really be engaged in the book while the parent is reading to them. It really lays out what exactly is going to happen when the new baby comes and how the little girls life is going to change for the better. The critique I have about this is it’s gender biased. It doesn’t talk about being a big brother or what the difference is. I think the book could have been written demonstrating how a big sister is just like a big brother and it would have taken on a more powerful role and would no longer be a gender biased book.

**//There’s going to be a baby?//** by John Burningham and Helen Oxenbury. This book starts by announcing there is going to be a baby coming. The rest of the book follows by the child and mom having dialogue about what the baby will be when it’s older. They talk about it maybe being a chef or a bank teller or helping in the park. The child then asks when is the baby coming, and the mom replies soon. The next page shows the child going to the hospital with grandpa talking about how they are going to love the baby. The book ends with them walking into seeing the baby. Burningham and Oxenbury’s attempt seemed to be that they wanted to show dialogue between a child and mother and have them explore the many options of what this child will be later in life. This book demonstrates nothing about what’s going to happen when that baby arrives and how the child’s world is going to be changed. It never mentions becoming an older brother and how his responsibility as an older brother will be. The book only talks about the future years, which the child isn’t even thinking about yet. As a reader, I got sense that the child was fearful about what was happening and even mentions that he wants the baby to go away but the mom never tells him it will be okay. It doesn’t go into what to expect or even show the baby arriving. The whole book is just a talk about imagining what the new baby will become when it should be focusing on what’s about to happen. I would not recommend this book to read to a child who is about to become an older sibling. Not to mention the illustrations in this book don’t help the text in any way. They are cartoon pictures on some pages and comic books with pixels on others. It sends a mix, cold message that a child would be confused by. In an interview by Publishers Weekly, Oxenbury states this quote, “To set them apart, the fantasy scenes had to be either “comics” style or caricature, and so I did go back to the comics that I had as a child, especially one called //Beano.”// (Marcus 2010) I think Oxebury was so focused on her childhood that she didn’t think about what children today relate to. The pictures aren’t engaging even to me as an adult and don’t catch your eye, so if you are reading it to the child, the child will become lost and may not even be paying attention. Overall I feel that this book would not be helpful in anyway to a new sibling.

**//Big sister now, A story about me and our new baby,//** by Annete Sheldon. Illustrated by Karen Miazel. This story is a soothing yet real story of a girl who gets a baby brother. It talks about how she is mad at first because she was always the baby and now all the parents’ attention seems to be on Daniel, the new baby. The book goes through different days where the mom is too busy with Daniel so she will have to wait patiently because she is the big sister and knows how to wait. The story shows how the little girl is always mad at first to have to wait but then gets love and help after Daniel is taken care of. It ends by her helping with Daniel and the parents praising her for being a big sister and the parents tell her they love her and how much help she has been. It ends with her getting to go bake cookies with grandma all by herself because she is a big girl now. I felt this book was a heart-warming book that touched on the reality of what happens when a baby arrives. It shows how being patient is important and even though it is frustrating at first it turns out to be good and rewarding in the end. The books shows how helping with the baby is important and the parents of this little girl give her love just like they do the new baby. I find that with the new siblings everyone’s attention is always on them and this book makes a point to show that the new attention is on both children and even grandma realizes how big she is now. The illustrations in this book are very eye catching. They depict each scene as it would be in real life but add vivid colored pencil color to it to make it stand out. The pictures follow the text very closely and definitely enhance the storyline. I would recommend this to any parent who is expecting their second child, as it would relate to them, as their life will soon be.

**//Brand-new Baby Blues,//** by Kathi Appelet and illustrations by Kelly Murphy is an outstanding songbook. This book is written with rhyme and rhythm and could be used to read or sing to a child. The story starts off with this child being mad and having the baby blues because this new baby has taken over their house and is pushing the child out. The story talks about how the baby gets to sit on the parents lap and how it gets all the attention. The child feels left out but starts to slowly see how the baby is actually kind of cool and how the little girl cant wait to teach the new baby all sorts of tricks. The song always repeats the chorus about the baby blues as it deals with difficult issues the child is experiencing. The song ends with the parents telling the child how much they love them and how much of a big help and sibling they are and that both children are very special to them. This book is outstanding to me because it turns this difficult issue into a song but doesn’t hide the fact that there are hard feelings that the child is experiencing. The song reinforces that its okay to be mad and hurt but know that the parents still love the child just as much as they did before the new baby arrived. I think it’s important for parents to understand that children are going to have the new baby blues and they will need help coping with that. I agree with the review on publishers weekly. Quoted from the review, “Readers can almost hear a wailing harmonica testifying to the girl's pain.” (Publishers weekly, Jan 2010). When reading the book the song aspect of it creates this jingle that allows you to feel the emotions the girl is experiencing. The illustrations are vivid and take up the whole page, which ties in with this fun way of dealing with the blues. They use bright colors to catch your eye and even though the book is about being blue, the color blue doesn’t take up the pages. The illustrator used bright colors such as yellow and pink to show that all in all while your having the blues there is still reason to be happy. In contrast though, when the girl is mad the pictures don’t depict what is going on in the text. Overall I believe this is a great way to show the baby blues. I would recommend this book very highly to parents who are having a second child and think it’s a new and fun way to deal with the new baby blues.

The books I chose to fit In with the category of accepting a younger sibling into your life are all different in many ways. They take a look at how the child’s life will change when the new baby arrives, to what the child will do when it’s older, to how to help and be a big sibling. I think as a collection, these books portray the message strongly. As a parent, it’s important to let the child know everything will be okay but it’s also just as important to show the struggles they may experience along the way. Using just one or two of these books would not get the message across as effectively. I think with combining the five of these books to read to your child, the child will gain insight about all aspects of what is going to happen when that new baby arrives and changes their world for the better.

**USEFUL LINKS FOR PARENTS:
 * []
 * http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/sibling_prep.html

** Work Cited **

Boyse, R.N, K. (2009, October). University of Michigan Health System. In //New Baby// // Sibling Helping Your Older Child (or Children) Adjust //. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from []

Brand-New Baby blues (2010, January). In //Publishers Weekly//. Retrieved May 22, 2011, from []

But I wanted a Baby Brother (2010, May). In //Publishers Weekly//. Retrieved February 24, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">2011, from []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Marcus, L. (2010, October 7). Q & A with Helen Oxenbury and John Burningham. In <span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.5in; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">// Publishers Weekly //. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from [] __ q--a-with-helen-oxenbury-and-john-burningham.html __

**Mixed Feelings in a Growing Family** Literary Review Jessica Bolewitz

Family life may not always be represented or taught in the classroom, however I believe that it may be beneficial for teachers and students alike to understand what changes may occur in a family when a new baby is introduced. At the news of hearing they will become a big brother or sister; a child may feel many emotions and have several questions. There are not many new books of this topic being written recently, but children’s feelings toward gaining a new sibling have not changed. Children, especially preschoolers, still do not understand what it means to not be an only child and to not hold their parents’ full attentions anymore. It has even been proven that the younger the older sibling is when the second child is born, the more irritated they may be when their brother or sister is born (Kramer & Kowell). However no fear, as the children grow up together they will begin to bond, with the occasional fight here and there, but that is all too normal with siblings. They must begin to learn to share and be patient with the new baby. It is important for the child to understand what changes may occur in the events leading up to their younger sibling’s birth. Parents should also understand the emotions, good or bad, their children will be facing, and understand why they may be going through those emotions at each stage. To help lessen the shock for your child, of a new sibling coming into the home, communication is very important, talking to the older sibling will allow them to ask any questions and it will also let them understand that you are still there for them (Rock). The following books depict several children’s lives changing after the birth of their new baby brother or sister.

Taking an outside look at the changing emotions of someone gaining a family member can be seen vividly in Alyssa Capucilli’s book //Biscuit Meets the Class Pet.// Although this may not be an older sibling gaining a younger sibling, Biscuit goes through the same phases that a child may go through when they are first introduced to their new baby brother or sister. This book is particularly intended for very young children and readers to understand the different emotions and feelings they may have when their baby brother or sister is home with them. Biscuit is the only pet of the family, when Nibbles, the class pet, comes home one day and Biscuit does not want to share any of his toys with the “intruder”. After some time, however, he becomes curious of this new addition. The illustrations are very clean and get right to the point, the intentional expressions Biscuit makes on every page allows the reader to sense what he may be feeling at every moment, the uncertainty, reluctance, and finally the acceptance towards Nibbles. Capucilli’s easy to read writing style is more favorable for non-readers or beginning readers, it is the starting point for children to begin to relate to a character and the feelings that character has in the story, and to learn that soon they too will be able to accept their new brother or sister.

In the husband and wife duo, Laurence and Catherine Anholt, who have written over one hundred children’s books, depict a young girl coming to terms with the new arrival in her home in their book //Sophie and the New Baby.// The story opens as Sophie crouches down to examine the first flower of spring, and she is about to find out that she is going to become a big sister when the “winter baby” arrives. As the seasons pass, with mystically bright water colored illustrations on every page, Sophie pleasantly helps her parents prepare for their winter arrival. Sophie’s feelings continue to climb until one night she finds her dad looking out the window at the falling snow. Turning the page to a double panel portrait of a snowy night, with one sentence, “That night her brother was born” brings a calming sensation to the reader. The story goes on, and Sophie begins to feel the difference in her life, her parents always seem to be busy with the new baby and she wishes she had her old life back, until Sophie finally proclaims “I don’t want that baby anymore!” After a warm hug on a cold winter day from her dad, Sophie begins to come to terms with her family’s new addition and she even starts to play and laugh with her baby brother. Spring comes again and Sophie shows her baby brother the first flower to bloom, and they begin the new year together. In this case, Sophie’s feelings changed with the seasons. She started off coldly with her baby brother but eventually warmed up to him, taking him on a walk in his stroller and teaching him to smile. The Anholts leave this reassuring message on the inside back cover, “we wanted to help children understand the mixed feelings they may have about the new arrival in their home and to reassure them about the good times that lie ahead”.

A particularly enjoyable and recognized book of this topic is Mercer Mayer’s //The New Baby.// Mayer is a well known children’s author and has written about the major experiences that children and parents encounter as the child grows up, in his legendary Little Critter series. Even though //The New Baby// was first published in 1980, it is still a very popular Little Critter book today. In this story, the older brother shows many of the same emotions that the other children have shown in the previous books, he is excited to see his baby sister, however when he encounters her for the first time, she does not react in the way that he wants her to. When he tells her jokes or makes funny faces, all she does is cry. After asking his mother “So what can you do with a new baby?” his mother reassures him and tells him activities that he can do with his baby sister, such as tickling her tummy or giving her his finger to grab. The last panel is certain to relieve both the child and parent(s)’ feelings, when the older brother is proud to go on a walk with his little sister to show her to his friends, who say that he is lucky to have a little sister. This story does not only deal with the emotions that a child may go through when they meet a new sibling, but also describes the positive activities that the siblings can share with one another allowing the older sibling to get to know their younger sibling in an optimistic way.

Another Random House children’s series is the Berenstain Bears by Stan and Jan Bernestain. This series follows one bear family through familiar experiences a growing family may have, such as gaining a new family member, like they did in //The Berenstain Bears and Baby Makes Five//__.__ In this story, two older siblings, Brother Bear and Sister Bear, have to adjust to the new addition of Honey, their baby sister. However Brother Bear is dealing with this adjustment a lot better than Sister Bear is, since he has been through it when Sister Bear was born. Sister Bear first saw her Honey as a nuisance, and did not accept her like the rest of her family did. Mama and Papa bear were always preoccupied by the new baby, even strangers would comment on how cute Honey was, which did not make Sister Bear happy in the least bit. Mama bear gets the hint that Sister Bear is upset when Sister comes home one day with a drawing of her family, omitting Honey from the scene. After realizing the struggle her daughter is going through, mama bear brings out old videos of Sister Bear as a baby, to show her that she was just like Honey once, and that Honey is doing everything that Sister did when she was a baby. Seeing these videos allowed Sister to finally accept Honey as part of the Bear Family. This book is a unique story of two older siblings accepting a new younger sibling. Many books only look into the lives of one sibling gaining another, but this one shows the reactions of two siblings having a new baby sister. Brother, who is the oldest, has had the same experiences as Sister is going through now, so he is able to come to terms that his parents may be a little more distracted than they used to be due to the needs of the baby. On the other hand, Sister, who used to be the youngest in the family, is going through a completely new experience. She does not know how to react to this new child and feels as though she is not getting the appropriate amount of attention. The distinguishing differences between the feelings of the two older siblings is dramatic to the reader, you notice how the older brother reacts calmly while the younger sister finds the whole situation to be annoying and unfair. This book would be the most obliging to a growing family with more than one older sibling.

The last book is of a different kind in which a young girl named Emma starts to accept her younger sibling before he/she is even born, after her and her dad discuss the activities that she and her new brother or sister will be able to do when the baby arrives, as well as when they grow up together, such as painting, playing kickball and even going to Africa. The Woodbine House book by Stephanie Stuve-Boden, //We’ll Paint the Octopus Red// is a classic story of a child discovering that her new baby brother has a developmental disability, in this case her baby brother, Isaac, has Down Syndrome. This story shows the true depiction of a child slowly understanding how Down Syndrome may or may not affect her sibling’s abilities. Emma did not understand fully what Down Syndrome meant for her, her family, or her brother, so she goes through the list of the plans she had for her and her brother, and wondered if Isaac would be able to do everything that she had planned to share with him. She asks her father if Isaac will be able to paint, kick a ball or go to Africa with her. Her father un-hesitantly says that “as long as we were patient with Isaac, and helped him when he needs it, there probably wasn’t anything he couldn’t do”. Pam DeVito’s water-colored illustrations display the creative and imaginative ideas that are in Emma’s young mind, which enhance the story, each picture depicts Emma and her soon to be brother taking part in all of the activities that she comes up with. This book realistically portrays a young family gaining a child with a developmental disability. This book’s powerful story shows a family that does not allow a disability to hinder any part of their family’s potential experiences or abilities. This book is above all beneficial for both child and parent or teacher to read together and share how they feel about the subject, just as Emma shares with her father. //We’ll Paint the Octopus Red// also displays and answers important and frequently asked questions about Down Syndrome, to help the reader better understand this topic, showing the informative nature of this book and its publishers.

Children around the world have gone through, are going through or will go through a similar pattern of emotions when they become an older brother or sister, as the children in the preceding books went through. The topic of emotions of children going through major events in their lives is a popular one; however I think that the emotions of children in a growing family are not equally represented. The event of a baby brother or sister being born is an important topic for teachers and parents to discuss with their students or child. Understanding the child’s thoughts, perceptions and questions during this time and talking about them benefits both parent and child. Parents who discuss a situation like this with their child will create a better relationship between the older and younger sibling, until they both grow and have an improved understanding of one another (Kendrick & Dunn). The stories above answer questions, suggest techniques as well as display appropriate activities for you and your child or student to discuss, think about or take part in when the addition to the family arrives.

**Helpful Links:**

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[|http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/sibling_prep.html#]

[|www.woodbinehouse.com]

[]

**Sources:** Anholt, L. & Anholt, C. (1996). //Sophie and the New Baby.// London, England: Orchard Books Australia. Berenstain, S. & Berenstain, J. (2000). //The Berenstain Bears and Baby Makes Five.// New York, NY: Random House. Capucilli, A. S. & Shories, P. (2010). //Biscuit Meets the Class Pet//. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. Kendrick, C. & Dunn, J. (1983). Sibling Quarrels and Maternal Responses. //Developmental Psychology, 19.// 62-70. Kramer, L. & Kowel, A. K. (2005). Sibling Relationship Quality from Birth to Adolescence: The Enduring Contributions of Friends. //Journal of Family Psychology, 19,// 503-511. Mayer, M. (2006). //The New Baby//. New York, NY: Random House. Rock, A. (n.d.). Preparing Your Preschooler for a New Baby: Getting Your Little One Ready to Welcome the Newest Member of the Family. Retrieved from http://preschoolers.about.com Stuve-Bodeen, S. & DeVito, P. (1998). //We’ll Paint the Octopus Red//. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House Inc.

Jamie Harrison //Missing May// by Cynthia Rylant



Throughout our lives, we are faced with the unfortunate and sad losses of our loved ones. We all have different ways of coping, but many of us tend to shut off our feelings because we do not know what to do. In the book //Missing May// by Cynthia Rylant, Summer is a twelve year old girl who has already lost both of her parents. As a young child, she had been passed around to different family members, not having a stable home. When Uncle Ob and Aunt May meet her for the first time when she is six, they decide to take her in for good as their own child. The family bond was the best thing that had ever happened to all of them, until May passes away six years later, when Summer is twelve years old. Summer is now faced with the tragic loss of another family member, while trying to hold it together for her Uncle Ob, who is having an even tougher time. She feels as if she is not good enough for Ob to want to live for, as he does not want to get up some mornings and looks so weak, that he too may pass at any moment. At school, it can be argued that she takes some of her pain out on Cletus, the “nerd”, when she insults him and finds him to be weird and somewhat annoying. As odd as it sounds, Cletus is not scared away and starts coming over daily to talk with Ob, who takes a liking to Cletus from the moment he meets him. One day Cletus mentions a Spiritualist church in which the owner apparently can make connections with the dead. Ob is so desperate to be in contact with May that the three of them head three hours to the church, only to find out the woman in charge died that year. According to Summer, she thought she was going to lose Ob right then and there, but a few hours later something in him changed, and you could tell from Summer‘s description of how he suddenly perked up that he was going to be okay. When they arrived home, it was dark and a big owl flew right over their heads, at first scaring them, and then striking Summer as a sign from May. She instantly begins to cry for hours, Ob and Cletus right there to comfort her. She finally got her chance to grieve. We find out at the end of the book that Summer shared one other experience with an owl flying so close, and it was with May. The signs throughout the book, such as the owl passing over, are what keep Ob and Summer going each day, knowing that May is still with them. For some of us, grieving comes much easier, and for others it is much more difficult. Rylant really develops the characters and creates an interesting and unpredictable plot in a short amount of pages. She takes a real-life issue that everyone goes through at some point in their life, and shows us different ways that people deal with their issues, highlighting the fact that just because someone has passed away, does not mean that they do not stay with us in our hearts, minds, and memories forever. Bibliotherapy can be defined as using literature to work through problems. This can be in the form of reading different books to relate the characters emotions to your own, or writing down your feelings in a journal, as poetry, or in a story. “People have long needed to immerse themselves in a world of words” says Davis and Wilson, professors of childhood education at the University of Central Arkansas. They discuss how reading is a way to get away from the difficulties we may have in life, whether we are a child or an adult. Not only can reading and writing help us get away from problems, but they help us think and sort through them. Though written for a younger audience, I would argue that //Missing May// can help a person of any age cope with death. The way Rylant reveals the vulnerability of each character through the eyes of a pre-teen amazes me, and I found myself relate to her on many occasions, even though we are from completely different backgrounds and have totally different family lives. I recently lost a friend, and this book put some things in perspective for me. It helped me realize that those closer to the deceased are in a state of confusion and shock, far beyond where I am. Just as Ob did not want to wake up in the morning some days, I am witnessing my roommate go through similar issues. I know it has nothing to do with me, but like Summer, some days I will feel helpless and lost. Through this book, I have made connections to my life, and I know many others have too. It is okay to be sad, and it is okay to grieve, but the most important thing is to know that there are others around you who love and support you. If this is what I can get out of this book, I can only imagine what someone similar in age and going through a similar situation can take from it. Its no wonder why Rylant won the Newbery Medal in 1993 for //Missing May//. Having gone through hardships in her life, such as the loss of her father when she was 13, she knew exactly what would get readers’ attention and how to make her characters so relatable. The story takes place in West Virginia, which is also where Rylant is from. It is evident that she writes about what she knows, and she really knows how to keep her audience wanting to know more. It seems to me that Rylant used Missing May as a way of using writing to cope with the problems she faced as a child. I can imagine that most authors use bibliotherapy to create something magical for readers to actually feel what is happening to the characters, as I did with Summer. While reading numerous reviews, I noticed one thing that everyone had in common, and that was that they all took something positive away from this book. Many explained how they would want to (or already had) read it again to get the same emotional response they did the first time. One commented on how it can be depressing, all the talk of death, but she still found a good outcome when she finished. The overall consensus seemed to be that Missing May was moving in different ways for many people. I, along with other readers, would suggest this book for 4th-6th grade teachers to use with their students. I feel it would this would be an appropriate age range for children to understand the events enough, and still be a little challenged (within their zone of proximal development). Not only would I recommend this for classroom use, but also to parents, and anyone struggling with the issue of death. It does not matter how old you are, you can still get have a powerful reaction to Rylant’s carefully constructed words. Aside from the aspect of death in this book, Rylant also finds subtle ways to talk about relationships between people. Though Ob and May were not Summer’s real parents, it was clear that over the six years they had lived together, they had become a family. This could give hope to many children who either do not know or do not have their parents around anymore. The possibility of creating a bond similar to one you would have with your mother could inspire children to look at their care takers in a different light. Another relationship that developed throughout the book was the one between Summer and Cletus. In the beginning, she found him to be irritating, to say the least. By the end of the book, Summer had a great appreciation for Cletus because he had been a big influence on Ob’s willingness to change. He became happier, and more open minded when Cletus was around, and Summer recognized this and was thankful. In conclusion, I would recommend this book to a variety of different people. It is a great way to look at death, and begin to come to terms with it. But even if you are not grieving, these characters can have an influence on you. From the amount of love shared between May, Ob and Summer to the positivity and creativity of Cletus, this book has something to offer.

Teacher resource: http://litplans.com/titles/Missing_May_Cynthia_Rylant.html Includes lesson plans and activities involving Missing May by Cynthia Rylant.

Resource for parents: http://www.cla-net.org/included/docs/handout1.pdf Provides a list of different issues your child may be having difficulty with and recommends books and other ways to help your child work through his or her problems.

Sources:

Davis, Karen & Wilson, Timothy. (1992). Bibliotherapy and Children’s Award Winning Books. University of Central Arkansas. Missing May, Cynthia Rylant Biography. (2011). Cliffnotes.com Wiley Publishing, Inc. Smith, Carl B.(1993). Bibliotherapy. Eric Digest. Indiana University School of Education.

Chelsea Schatzberg Holes by Louis Sachar Let’s start with a little history of Louis Sachar, some things that I never knew as an avid reader of Holes. He is also the author of some of my other favorite children’s books //Sideways Stories from Wayside School//, for which he got his inspiration from working at an elementary school simply for some college credits. Louis says on his website biography, “ I write every morning, usually for no more than two hours a day. I never talk about a book until it is finished. I spent two years on my latest novel, and nobody, not even [my wife] Carla or [my daughter] Sherre knew anything about it until it was finished. Then they were the first to read it. ” This is such a fascinating act to me, the idea that he doesn’t receive any outside input on his books during the writing process. It is just amazing to me that this method lead him to produce such a brilliant piece of children’s literature like ‘Holes’. Sachar carefully constructs this intricate story in which he takes us on an adventure with each of the main characters. “Stanley Yelnats was given a choice. The judge said ‘You may go to jail, or you may go to Camp Green Lake.’ Stanley was from a poor family. He had never been to camp before” Right off the bat, after reading only two full pages of text, I was drawn like a moth to a flame. This is an adventurous story about Stanley Yelnats IV: a boy that readers will find as interesting as the fact that his last name is his first name spelled backwards. Stanley is found guilty for a crime he didn’t commit, a fact that only adds to his view of himself being a victim of circumstance. As a reader you are instantly challenged understanding that he didn’t actually do the crime he is being charged for and knowing he is being punished as an innocent person. Stanley was bullied in school and to make matters worse this tradition sort of carries out at camp as well, something that I think many children can connect to. This is the story of a boy rising to the occasion, persevering and building friendships with people he wouldn’t usually associate with. Stanley is introduced to a melting pot of races, ages, sizes, and personalities opening his eyes to a new world he never knew before. What I found had the most impact was the fact that the boys in Group D at Camp Green Lake were from a variety of racial backgrounds. However, they each received nicknames that had no association with their race, giving them a blank face that we were allowed to fill in as we were introduced to them and discovered their contribution to the story. “Fate conspires to resolve it all—the family curse, the mystery of the holes, the drought that destroyed Green Lake, and also, the legend of Kissing Kate Barlow, an infamous outlaw of the Wild West. The great wheel of justice has ground slowly for generations, but now it is about to reveal its verdict, ” Sachar tells us in his very own description of his book (Sachar). ‘ Holes’ depicts a assortment of messages to its audience, something I’m not sure I was entirely aware of as a young reader. It is connected to a variety of topics including bullying and teasing, the western life, perseverance, juvenile justice and detention, the power of fate to determine events, and so many more. The author offers children a different outlook on character roles. For example, the book contains almost an entire cast of young boys and men counselors; almost leaving us with The Warden, the stories intimidating female authority figure at Camp Green Lake. Children are exposed to conflicts in which they may struggle with accepting, such as the way the boys are treated almost as if they were slaves or the severity of The Warden’s actions taken with the boys and Mr. Sir. These are issues I as an adult found controversial and which constantly made my emotions rise and fall. “Although nothing is quite what it seems in this wildly inventive novel, the patterns of language and narrative assure us that everything will eventually make sense,” said a New York Times review (Hearne). One of the things I love most about ‘Holes’ is the fact that it tells three stories at once: the story of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather, the story of Kissin’ Kate Barlow, and the story of Stanley Yelnats IV. Each of these tales take place in different parts of the country as well as in Latvia, yet somehow all link together to form a compelling story ride. They take place individually in a very different time, and it is not until towards the end that you start truly finding the connection. Being that it had been so long since I last read it, I found myself wondering how and why each story was brought together. Looking back, I recall sitting in our reading area asking my teacher questions every time I began to see a relationship between characters. Louis Sachar always keeps your mind going as well as your imagination. What will happen next? Why are the boys really digging these holes? How can they be treated so badly? These very questions are what constructed our classroom discussion daily and helped to build a storyboard of sorts. As you struggle through the suspenseful parts, float through the funny parts, and sit with wide eyes during the scary parts, Sachar reveals to us new aspects of the story that slowly by surely tie together masterfully at the end. ‘Holes’ is a phenomenal book for, what I just realized after re-reading it, ages 9 and up (even up to 21 years old). I am not the only one who thinks this either, Louis Sachar is critically acclaimed thanks to this book in which he meets each and every standard of excellence. Holes is a Newberry Medal winner, a National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Award winner, a Boston Globe- Horn Book Award winner for fiction, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Notable Children’s Book, an ALA Quick Pick, a Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book, a Horn Book Fanfare, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the year, a New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of the Year, and one of my personal favorites. It also had such a large impact that it was made into a major movie in 2003. This book is an adventure in and of itself, drawing in every one of its readers- old or young. Holes invites it’s audience to use their imaginations and engage in a special level of reading. After every chapter you are wondering what will happen next. As it alternates between a realm of the past and his very own present it includes family ties and reflects a diverse group of young men, brought together, guilty or innocent, at Camp Green Lake juvenile corrections facility. I chose this book because I have, in all honesty, read it at least 6 times as a child and haven’t since then. I remember loving it, finding it suspenseful, intriguing, funny, interesting, and not being able to put it down. I recall this being a read aloud in my 4th grade class. I sat there up against the wall in our reading area starry eyed every day, always being disappointed when reading time was finished. I was apprehensive to read this children’s novel as an adult, however. I didn’t want to ruin my perception of the book and I was afraid that it wouldn’t be as good ten years later. I was nervous to read it under the teaching eye- critiquing writing style and the elements of the story. I was worried that I would find this book simply wasn’t as good as I remembered. I was wrong, to the farthest and largest extent. I found myself clinging to the story, the characters, and the situation just as much as I did as a child. “ Tough, truehearted and ultimately tender, Holes is also a member of that endangered species,” said a New York Times review and I couldn’t phrase it any better myself (Hearne). As I said, I was first introduced to this book in my fourth grade class. I find that it is a great read that could be connected to a variety of topics. I know it was books like this that kept me wanting to read, an issue that many children seem to struggle finding. ‘Holes’ is a book that truly assesses text comprehension thanks to the puzzle that Louis Sachar presents to us. With that said, here are a few links to curriculum connection suggestions: [] [] [] http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=529 Introduction to possible art project [] References

Hearne, Betsy. "He Didn't Do It." //Books//. The New York Times, 15 Nov. 1998. Web. 19 Feb. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/15/reviews/981115.15hearnet.html>.

"Louis Sachar — Holes—The Book." //Louis Sachar// // — Children's Author //// — Home Page //. 2002. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <http://www.louissachar.com/HolesBook.htm>.

"Booksontape.com : Books by Louis Sachar." //Booksontape.com : We Drive Your Audiobook Circulation//. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://library.booksontape.com/search.cfm?author=26631&>.

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= Courtney Copus = 2/22/11   Eng 302: Literary Report **__Laurie Lears in Promoting Inclusive Classrooms__** As I become closer to graduation, I vision myself inside the classroom. It is important that I am able to adjust to diversity within my classroom. “Imagine looking around your world and not seeing a reflection of yourself, not seeing your own image in pictures not hearing stories that reflect your life” (Favazza). Many children with disabilities feel this way. “What message you are missing when you do not see yourself reflected in your world? You are missing the message that “I am important”, “I do belong”, “This is my world, too”” (Favazza). Lately, I have been thinking about adjusting to students with disabilities and understanding their disabilities and daily life challenges in order to effectively teach. This appeared on my mind since stumbling upon five books by author Laurie Lears. She wrote four young children’s books on disabilities and one on open adoption. The disabilities included autism, stuttering, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy. This well-written collection could offer a venue for teachers to open their classroom to understanding disabilities rather than believing false fallacies. The books will bring a sense of belonging for all students within the classroom. Too often students with disabilities are not represented within their classroom environment and do not feel as they belong (Favazza). Her crafty writing and relatable stories could help students and teachers alike bring a community of students together as one. The representation of each disability is presented with no hidden fallacies, besides some points in the autism book may be challenged, since researchers have been finding more information each year about autism. In the preliminary of each book, Lears presents an explanation of the disability written by a medical director or a national accredited website. This presents the reader knowledge of the condition if no previous knowledge is known. Lears writes each book with the sole purpose to promote awareness of each disability while crafting a story for children to enjoy. Each story is relatable and easy to follow the character that is faced with the disability. Lears’ shows the importance that the characters are just like you and I. The readers learn students with disabilities how can still be a part of society despite their obstacles. It may be limited to what and how they can serve, but their life is just as important as ours. Lears also conveys the message that disabilities are not something to be afraid of and it is common for children to be faced with a disability, and how we embrace them is important. It will benefit the child with disabilities to be represented in order to feel accepted in their environment and promote a good sense of self-concept which leads to good self-esteem (Favazza). My favorite book was “Nathan’s Wish (A Story about Cerebral Palsy).” Lears offered a unique story about Nathan with cerebral palsy that visits Ms. Sandy’s Raptor Rehabilitation Center each day because of his interests in animals. In the story Lears presents an owl, Fire that has a broken wing that Ms. Sandy is trying to rehabilitate. After a few weeks, Ms. Sandy has a test trial to see if Fire’s fate will be good or bad as Fire is let into the cage. Fire flies until suddenly he comes crashing down. As this moment, Ms. Sandy realizes that Fire will never be able to fly again and is saddened. Nathan standing close by turns away with tears in his eyes. Nathan knows the feeling of wishing to be able to achieve something, but knowing it can never happen. Eventually, Fire comes to life again by finding new purpose to life by nurturing and taking care of three orphan owls. Nathan uses this lesson and decides that his purpose is to help out at the rehabilitation center, but in different ways than he originally thought. Nathan helps out by cleaning the cages, answering phones, and getting the mail for Ms. Sandy. Lears shows how Nathan can be included in daily life activities despite his handicap, which can be reflected inside a classroom. There will always be ways to include a person who may be in a wheelchair. The other book that was touching to me was Ian’s Walk (A Story about Autism). Today, autism is more and more common, especially in boys, affecting 1 in 70 boys (Autism Speaks) and her choice of using a young boy represent this statistic. In the book, a family of three children, two older girls, and a young boy, Ian are faced with the daily challenges of Ian’s autism. During the book, Ian’s sisters ask to take Ian to the park. The walk to the park is long and drawn out as the girls explain all of Ian’s differences compared to a normal child. Ian walks into a restaurant just to watch the fan go round and round, he doesn’t notice the fire truck whistles, but tilts his head and listens to another sound unknown to his sisters, instead of smelling the flowers he would rather smell the bricks on the wall, and he would rather put his head against the stone than feed the ducks at the pond. The sisters see all these things as hassles or embarrassments to deal with. However, Ian becomes lost and once found the sisters come to realize that despite his differences these are the reasons they love Ian. Therefore, on their walk home the sisters go home “Ian’s way”. My mom, Dorene, is a special education teacherand has had autistic students. She tells me that they do not like loud noises. If a loud noise is present, the student cringes and covers his ears. She goes on telling me that some autistic children even have headphones to wear for the sole purpose to block out loud noises. She told me that last week; her autistic student had to wear his headphones during the jazz concert the students attended. Despite this misrepresentation, families and teachers alike are faced with these challenges. Lears shows in this book that autism can be something different, but we must embrace these differences. His sisters showed Ian love and patience throughout the book. Students would be able to recognize that despite their differences, autistic children are just like them. It would be beneficial for students to realize that what makes a person different is what makes a person unique. Not every student is the same, and the teacher should help the students realize in order to make an inclusive classroom. Lears’ last book about a disability was “Ben Has Something to Say (A Story about Stuttering)”. Not a common problem we see in society, but it is affecting people throughout the world. In the story, Ben speaks to his Dad because he does not make fun of him for stuttering. Upon visiting an auto shop with his dad over days, Ben does not speak to the owner, but befriends the owner’s dog. One night, the auto shop gets robbed and the owner wants to take the dog to the pound for to him the dog is useless. Ben, whom never spoke a word to the owner, finally speaks up and yells he will keep him. Ben speaking up allows him to keep the dog in the end. Lears shows her readers that Ben is embarrassed about his voice, but speaks up when it is important, despite any fears he may have. Students can learn from this book to not ridicule a student if they deal with any type of speech impediment. As I read the article, “Relations Between Classroom Context, Physical Disability and Preschool Children’s Inclusion Decisions,” it reminded me of Lears’ book about Epilespy. Lears’ book talks about Becky “The Brave” that faces seizures, but nothing else is wrong with her. Becky does not want a seizure to happen at school due to the fact she thinks no one will be her friend if they know about her epilespy. The article refers to children classifying students in wheelchairs, hearing aids, walkers, etc. to be disabled, but did not recognize a student with Down syndrome as having any disability (Diamond). Lears portrays how none of the students know about her disability until the day Becky has a seizure in class. Hence, Becky thinks all the kids will not want to be her friend because of her difference. However, instead her classmates embrace it by making her cards to come back to school. Lears has offered a lesson that could be taught about including everyone despite if a disability is known or not. In the end, Becky was accepted, unlike her own predictions, and it offers a story for children to relate to on acceptance. The book “Megan’s Birthday Tree (A Story about Open Adoption),” doesn’t quite fit into the category of disabilities inside the classroom. I’m not suggesting adoption is a disability. However, it isn’t an issue that should be ignored. It would be classified more as a social or emotional issue. In the article, “Teaching Adopted Students with Disabilities: What Teachers Need to Know,” it explains the negative impacts that regular adoptions have on children, especially adopted later in life (Meese). The article explains that children become depressed, sad, or feel low self-worth as they are moving from one place to another and always wanting to know about their birth parents (Meese). It stated even if adopted into a health family, children face emotional issues(Meese). Therefore, Lears’ story can show the importance and relevance of adoption, and the positive impacts of open adoptions. “Megan’s Birthday Tree” is another great story of a young girl Megan that was adopted from birth. Megan shares her views of the adoption and her love for her adoption parents, but also her real mother too. The strong relationship shows positive effects that open adoption has had on Megan’s life. Megan is able to understand that her mother could not support a baby at the time, but will always love Megan. Lears shows the mother’s love for her daughter through the birthday tree. Her real mother sends a picture of the tree each year for Megan’s birthday to represent the growing of the tree as Megan growing in life. The message for children is that adoptions does not mean that a child is not wanted, but that families are created based on love. Anyone can be a family as long as there is love and healthy relationships. Lears’ books would be valuable inside a teacher’s classroom. It would be suggested to have a specific section for the books. The teacher could explain the importance of the books and eventually use them to read aloud to the class at some point during the school year. To me, it would be beneficial near the beginning of the year, especially if the classroom has a child with a disability. However, this could be a touchy subject and must be okay with the child’s parents and the child itself. I think it is always good to assure the child whom is inclusive would feel comfortable at all times. I mean isn’t that the point of inclusive classrooms? We want the child to feel a part of a community. The reading could potentially hinder the experience and make the experience less enjoyable by singling out their disability. This would be a precaution to take as a teacher. Dorene went on to tell me that her autistic boy does not like to be different and would rather not be recognized for his difference. However, I truly think it would be beneficial to represent students with disabilities by having books and other materials too. It can also benefit students without disabilities too, to understand that not everyone in the world is like themselves. As the studies have shown, “normal students” will chose to include children with disabilities based on the context of the activity (Diamond). Most will ask another student without a disability due to the fact that they are not sure if the student will be able to perform the activity (Diamond). Lears realizes this and helps convey the message that students with disabilities belong too. If students aren’t educated about such disabilities, then they will assume people that are in wheelchairs, who act “funny”, or talk funny, do not belong. Lears’ books are just one avenue to educating and offering a sense of belonging for students with and without disabilities alike. So, as I still ponder myself inside my classroom, I have learned more about myself and creating an inclusive classroom. Lears’ books have taught me about the commonalities of these disabilities and what the students face every day. I plan on using Lears’ book inside my classroom because I want to represent all my students through literature and other materials. Even if I may not have a student with a disability, I want my students to be educated and know what kinds of disabilities people face in the world. I will be expanding their knowledge and offering a diverse learning environment inside the classroom. The students will become a diverse learning community accepting people for whom they are.

Web Resources: Stuttering Foundation of America. [|http://www.stuttersfa.org] United Cerebral Palsy. [] Autism Speaks. [] __Works Cited:__ Diamond, Karen. “Relations between classroom context, physical disability and preschool children's inclusion decisions.” Journal of applied developmental psychology. 01/01/2009. Volume: 30. Issue: 2. http://www.sciencedirect.com. ezproxy.gvsu.edu/science?_ob= MImg&_imagekey=B6W52-4TVR6YD- 1-1&_cdi=6558&_user=1528902&_ pii=S0193397308001305&_origin= search&_coverDate=04%2F30% 2F2009&_sk=999699997&view=c& wchp=dGLbVzz-zSkzS&md5= 0053573e7fc79efe8cdf9538474d0f 6b&ie=/sdarticle.pdf

Favazza, Paddy C. “Representing Young Children with Disabilities in Classroom Environments.” Young Exceptional Children. 01/01/2000. Volume: 3 Issue: 3. @http://yec.sagepub.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/content/3/3/2.full.pdf+html

Meese, Ruth Lyn. “Teaching Adopted Students with Disabilities.” Intervention in school and clinic. 03/01/1999. Volume: 34 Issue: 4. [8-4485-4d29-adc4-498333d6a9e8%40sessionmgr4&vid=1]

<span style="color: #ff3399; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">Lindsey DeRuiter <span style="color: #ff3399; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">Literary Review <span style="color: #ff3399; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">EN 302 Fancy Nancy
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<span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif';"> "My family is posh! That's a fancy word for fancy." <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">               <span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The Fancy Nancy books have captured the hearts of little girls all around the world. The book cover instantly draws you in with its bright colors and glittering images. Fancy Nancy is an energetic, lively, and entertaining little girl who has a personality that is larger than life. She decides that an ordinary life is rather boring and being fancy would be way more fun. What little girl would not like to live a fancy life? Fancy does not mean luxurious or expensive, but adding a little more spunk into your daily routine. That can be a number of things to Nancy like being busy, adding color into your wardrobe, and last but not least speaking French! Everything is fancy to Nancy from her clothes and accessories to her bedroom and activities. Living a fancy life makes things more fun and exciting, you should try it!

<span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif';">“Ooh la la is a Fancy French work for Look! How Wonderful” <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The first noticeable thing about Fancy Nancy books are the illustrations. The illustrator in all of these books is Robin Preiss Glasser; she is the number one New York Times bestselling illustrator of the Fancy Nancy series. She was once asked what do you hear most often from your readers and she said, “People most often comment about the details in my pictures -- I love to layer lots and lots of action, humor and surprise into my illustrations” (Somon and Shuster). The details of the illustrations can leave you looking at them for hours. They are done in watercolor with bright vibrant colors. These colors set a cheerful mood while reading the text. Glasser presents the pictures with intricate details providing various lines and curves to create realistic figures and things. The pictures come alive while Nancy always seems to be dancing in each picture. Her toes are always pointed or her arms thrown in the air with a beautiful smile on her face. Each illustration represents what kind of character Nancy really is. One of the first things I noticed while reading the story is her vibrant red hair. It is always piled on top of her head with colored bows and a tiara added in. She has shades of purple and fuchsia throughout her hair along with random curls flying out every which way. These illustrations stand on their own and could easily tell the story even without the text. They establish the mood based on the expressions coming from Nancy. When she is cheerful and energetic she is lively as if almost flowing out of the page. When she is upset her face is sad and her body language is negative. Nancy always has on tons of accessories and the illustrations are filled with diamonds, ruffles, feathers, flowers and everything else a girl would need to be fancy. The texture of the pictures I think is one of the key components to the story. It shows further details and creates patterns in the clothes, walls, floors and so on. It makes the pictures come alive and makes them more enjoyable to look at. In the book // Fancy Nancy Explorer Extraordinaire! // Glasser adds in fun maps and actual pictures of animals, plants and flowers they find outside. The different features that are added in make the books even more fun to read! The text choice is also very unique. The words are not printed in a normal font but a more fancy spiraled writing. The text is placed all over the pages depending where the illustrations are at. Even though the text is not perfectly aligned it is easy to follow and read. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">  <span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif';">“Gorgeous is a fancy work for even more beautiful than beautiful “ <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> One of the things that Author Jane O’Connor addressed early on is the important idea of Nancy liking to be fancy is a do it yourself, homemade kind of fancy. While listening to an interview with Jane on NPR she says, “ <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">In her world, it means putting frilly toothpicks into sandwiches. It means adding lace trim to your soccer socks. She turns her own plain bed into a canopy bed by rigging up a sheet with a broom and a mop. So it's all very homemade, do-it-yourself fancy” (O’ Connor). These are all fun things any child can relate too. This is one of the many reasons I think these books could be great for boys and girls. Nancy is proud of all the things she does from learning poetry to exploring the outdoors. Each book is a new adventure for Nancy and could be for any child reading it as well. She just likes to add a twist of fanciness to everything she does, but remember it’s a homemade kind of fancy. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> <span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif';">“Parasol is a fancy work for an old-fashioned umbrella that protects you from the sun” <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Another reason why I think these stories are wonderful for young kids is because it has an underlying theme of always expressing yourself. Nancy is never afraid to tell others what she thinks or feels about certain things. She is fascinated with learning new things and fun words to add to her vocabulary. She uses fun outfits to express herself and does not care others think of her. In a few of the books she even forgets some of her fancy words and reminds the readers that she is just a little girl so she forgets things sometimes. Another thing I really liked about Nancy is she has a different appearance then most little girls in books. She does not have blond or brown hair, but red hair! She loves the way she looks and wants others to join in and feel glamorous just like her. Another theme that is intertwined through every book is family. Her family is supportive of Nancy’s fanciness because that is what she likes and enjoys. This is a lesson even parents could learn from these books. Even if your children enjoy something that is different than everyone else that is what makes them different and unique. Jane O’Connor also expresses this in her NPR interview, <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">“And I like the fact that her parents really appreciate this little peacock in their midst. And they're fun parents. They don't mind getting dressed up in silly, outrageous outfits. The mom is wearing Christmas ornaments as earrings. The dad has on a top hat from Nancy's magic set. Her little sister looks outrageous. And they all go to the local pizza parlor and eat with their pinkies up and call each other darling. And I liked it that the parents go along with her, but they also - they rein her in when she sort of crosses the line” ( O’Connor). <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">O’Connor wrote this book to be relatable to all children and even their parents. Family is such an important theme to be seen in books and it added one more thing I like about the Fancy Nancy series! Her parents are always supportive of all of her adventures and always have positive things to say to her. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif';">“Lavender is a fancy work for light purple” <span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> The setting of Fancy Nancy books are all around her hometown. Each book has a different theme depending on her mood and if she is up for an adventure. One book is // Fancy Nancy’s Favorite Fancy Words From Accessories to Zany. //This book focuses on yet another unique aspect of this series and that is vocabulary. Each book Nancy gives us insight on her favorite words that she is learning. This is great for young readers because it enhances vocabulary and word comprehension. I would recommend these books to children as young as three. The illustrations are enough to have any young reader pay attention to the story even if they don’t understand everything in the text. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif';">“Dapper is a fancy work for a man” <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The only negative aspect I could see critiques finding in the Fancy Nancy series would be the focus mainly being directed only towards young girls. The positive themes I spoke about above focuses not only to young girls, but to boys as well. The theme of always being yourself and the support of a loving family is directed towards any young child. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> In conclusion I would recommend these books to any young children. I would use these in my classroom when I become a teacher because I think it hold great themes of a young girl finding herself and not caring about what other think of her. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and each story is different from the last. It is great for vocabulary and word comprehension. It is all around a FANCY book! __<span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Works Cited __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Barancik, Steve. "Review: The Fancy Nancy Books by Jane O'Connor - Fancy, Not Princessy!" //Best Children's Books - Find One or Write One!// 2006. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.best-childrens-books.com/fancy-nancy-books.html>. <span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Glasser, Robin Preiss. "Robin Preiss Glasser | Author Revealed at Simon & Schuster." //Author Interviews & Appearances, Authors In the News & More – Simon & Schuster//. Simon and Schuster. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Robin-Preiss-Glasser/16599030/author_revealed>. <span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">O'Connor, Jane, and Renee MONTAGNE. "The Dress-Up World of 'Fancy Nancy' : NPR." //NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR//. National Public Radio, 10 Mar. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=87988020>. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> __<span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Other Helpful/ Fun links __ <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Official Fancy Nancy Website <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Finding Fancy Nancy Books <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Looking inside Fancy Nancy Books <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">__<span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy Books __ <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">__<span style="color: #cc3399; font-family: 'Segoe Script','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Asterisks by the books I read and reviewed __ <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #ff3399; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Coming March, 2011:
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2005) <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2007)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy Loves! Loves!! Loves!!! //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2007)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2008)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2008)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy Sees Stars //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2008)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Let's Get Fancy Together! //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2008)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy's Fashion Parade! //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2008) <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy's Favorite Fancy Words: From Accessories to Zany //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2008) <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy at the Museum //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2008)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Poison Ivy Expert //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2009)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire! //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2009) <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Pajama Day //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2009)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: The Show Must Go On //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2009)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: The Dazzling Book Report //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2009)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: The 100th Day of School //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2009)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Tea Parties //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2009)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Halloween...or Bust! //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2009)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2009)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy's Perfectly Posh Paper Doll Book //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2009)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy's Elegant Easter //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Every Day is Earth Day //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire! //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2010) <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy and the Sensational Babysitter //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy and the Late, Late, LATE Night //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Spectacular Spectacles //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy's Gloriously Gigantic Sticker-tivity Book //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy and the Delectable Cupcakes //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: My Family History //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2010)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Splendid Speller //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (I Can Read Book 1) (2011)
 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy: Fashionista: A Coloring and Activity Book //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2011)
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 * <span style="color: #ff3399; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Fancy Nancy's Marvelous Mother's Day Brunch //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">    <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">