This series continues its good-natured dressing-down of the picture-book diva. In Report, Nancy neglects her Sacajawea book report's content because she's preoccupied with its cover. In the less satisfying Expert, the bouquet she picks for her teacher's surprise birthday party contains the dreaded itch-causing plant. Nancy's definitions of "fancy" words (plume, remedy) appear in the texts and in concluding glossaries.

K-Gr 2 Fancy Nancy thinks she knows all there is to know about poison ivy. However, when she picks a beautiful big bouquet of wildflowers for her teacher's birthday, she ends up itching all over. While convalescing at home, Nancy decides to research poison ivy to become a real expert. Her neighbor brings her some cream that she has made from jewelweed, which helps Nancy's skin begin to heal. She visits her friend Bree, who has planned a surprise party for her, with dancing to the rock-and-roll song "Poison Ivy." Nancy is a spirited character, and her personality makes this beginning reader both fun and funny. She has a whimsical flair for living her life with style and animation. Nancy relishes big words (all parenthetically defined) with an occasional French phrase thrown in just for spark. The text has short sentences and easily decoded words. Illustrations are charmingly rendered in ink and watercolor, with lots of comical detail. Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME