Do you have a Fancy Nancy Fan? {Contest & Giveaway}

My daughter was introduced to Fancy Nancy just a few short months ago and absolutely LOVES her!  I have previously been given the opportunity to review 2 Fancy Nancy books- Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day and Poet Extraordinaire!  And just recently I was sent a swag bag of Fancy Nancy items from Harper Collins Publishing (thank you) to review/giveaway and was also told about the Fancy Nancy Fantastic Fan Photo Contest.

I of course entered my 5 yr old daughter, and would love if you vote for her... or if you have your own Fancy Nancy Fan (ages 3-8), enter her by 1/31/2011 for a chance to be a character in a future book and also to receive a signed copy of the newest book Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique!  Read official rules here.

Here's what was in the Fancy Nancy Swag Bag:
   ✿Posh Poetry Journal
   ❀Couture Coin Purse
   ✿Ooh La La Folding Opera Glasses
   ❀Fancy Pink Feathered Pencil
  ✿Fancy Nancy Tea Party Time Nintendo DS/ DSi Game

My daughter loved the pencil and journal- just perfect now that she's in Kindergarten and learning to read and write!  The coin purse not only holds the change that daddy gives her when he empties his pockets but also her Princess & Barbie lip gloss.  And the opera glasses are fabulous for looking at the birds outside, or the toys across the room.  The Tea Party Time game I'm sure she would've loved, but since we don't have a Nintendo DS... well I'm just going to have to host a giveaway for all of my fabulous fans (that's fancy for YOU)!!!

Enter to WIN the Fancy Nancy Tea Party Time! Nintendo DS game, do any of the following (leave a separate comment for each one you do, or already do):

•  Vote for my daughter in the photo contest (can be done daily) +2 Entries
•  Tell me a favorite Fancy Nancy book or one you'd love to have for your Fantastic Fan
•  Follow Harper Collins Publishing on Twitter
•  Follow my blog publicly via Google Friend Connect
•  Subscribe to my blog via Email
•  Follow me on Twitter
•  Like me on Facebook
•  Enter any of my other giveaways +1 for each
•  Post about this contest/giveaway (Facebook, Cafemom, Blog, etc.) +5 entries, leave 5 separate comments
•  Tweet about this contest/giveaway (may be done daily, leave link), may copy & paste the following:

Vote for your favorite Fancy Nancy Fan & Enter to #win a Nintendo DS game @susiebhomemaker http://bit.ly/bsMz6S #Giveaway ends 11/16

U.S. ONLY

This contest ends on 11/16/10 at 11:59 pm EST. Open to U.S. residents only.  The winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning notification email before another winner is drawn. Please make sure your email is visible on your profile or leave with your comment(s).

Disclosure:  I was given a product in exchange for my review.  No other form of compensation was received.  The opinions and thoughts I’ve shared with these products are 100% my own and yours may differ.

Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire! {Book Review}

Have you heard of Fancy Nancy books by the #1 New York Times Best Selling Author and Illustrator duo Jane O' Connor & Robin Preiss Glasser?  Fancy Nancy books are absolutely beautiful to look at- the pictures and words are adorable and girly.  They are fun to read for both mother and daughter... or grandma/granddaughter, aunt/niece, etc.

Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire!  ages 4 to 7

 Book Description:

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

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

My Take:

My 5 yr. old loved this book right away!  It has a bunch of short poems inside which she loved hearing.  There's one part in the book where they make a poem out of their name (they don't tell you this in the book, but it's called an acrostic poem).  You write the letters of your name in a column and then for each letter you think of a word that describes something about you.  This inspired my daughter to create a craft project... completely her own idea!!

So my daughter used different colored construction paper, drew her leaves (in the book, the class is making a poet-tree, get it, sounds like poetry, so all the poems are made on leaves).  Then she cut out her leaves and squares for the letters in her name.  I gave her a glue stick and she glued the squares onto her leaf.  Then she wrote her name and we came up with words to describe her.  Some were words that describe her personality but it also included things she loved, like apples & ice-cream.  :D  It was such a fun, easy craft.... one that a young child can do all on their own!

My Budding Poet

Fancy Nancy books are a must-have for any young lady in your life!
Also check out my review of Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day 

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book for review.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions are 100% mine!

Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day {Book Review}

Have you heard of Fancy Nancy books by the #1 New York Times Best Selling Author and Illustrator duo Jane O' Connor & Robin Preiss Glasser?  Fancy Nancy books are absolutely beautiful to look at- the pictures and words are adorable and girly.  They are fun to read for both mother and daughter... or grandma/granddaughter, aunt/niece... girls of all ages!

Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day - ages 4 to 7


Book Description:
What better way to fancy Mom up for her birthday than to treat her to a super-deluxe beauty day created by Fancy Nancy herself? It's a pampering paradise, and right in the backyard! With relaxing music, fragrant lotions, colorful nail polish, and foamy mousse, Nancy gives her mom a total makeover. She even treats her to sumptuous refreshments and special entertainment. But when the pampering suddenly goes too far, has Nancy ruined her mom's big day?

Complete with tips and recipes for creating a super-deluxe beauty day of your own, Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day will inspire budding beauty experts to open up shop and join in the deluxe fanciness!

My take:
I thought at first it was too advanced for my 5 yr. old and would be more suited for slightly older ages, perhaps 6 to 9 years old.  There's so much going on and to take in on every page, plus the style of writing is very detailed and constantly explaining something.  After the first read-thru, it did in fact seem not to appeal to my daughter very much, so I was surprised when she asked me to read it again!  The best part tho', was when afterwards she wanted to pretend I was at the spa...

Ooh La La!!

She got a small toy box for me to 'soak' my feet in. Then she gave me the 'spa treatment'- manicure, pedicure, and did my hair and makeup (still pretend of course).  My daughter has actually pretended to put makeup on me before, but I like that the book explained a lot more to her and showed how to do what.  There's even a recipe for a face mask and also shows how to practice braiding hair.  My daughter cherishes her new book and likes to get it out to look at in her room or to read with me, and then play dress-up and pretend we're at the spa together!  I love how this book encourages her to use her imagination and even has hands-on activities for her to try.

Fancy Nancy books are a must-have for any young lady in your life!

Also check out my review of Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book for review.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions are 100% mine.