Meet Miss Fancy

by Irene Latham, John Holyfield (Illustrator)

Overview

A charming and significant story set prior to the Civil Rights Movement about a boy who finds a way to challenge segregation laws.

Frank has always been obsessed with elephants. He loves their hosepipe trunks, tree stump feet, and swish-swish tails. So when Miss Fancy, the elephant, retires from the circus and moves two blocks from his house to Avondale Park, he's over the moon! Frank really wants to pet her. But Avondale Park is just for white people, so Frank is not allowed to see Miss Fancy. Frank is heartbroken but he doesn't give up: instead he makes a plan!

Frank writes to the City Council so his church can host a picnic in the park, and he can finally meet Miss Fancy. All of his neighbors sign the letter, but when some protest, the picnic is cancelled and Frank is heartbroken all over again. Then Miss Fancy escapes the zoo, and it's up to Frank to find her before she gets hurt.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399546686
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/08/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,166,958
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Irene Latham is the author of more than a dozen current and forthcoming books, including two novels for children: Leaving Gee's Bend and Don't Feed the Boy. Winner of the 2016 ILA Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award, her poetry books for children include Dear Wandering Wildebeest, When the Sun Shines on Antarctica, Fresh Delicious and Can I Touch Your Hair? (co-written with Charles Waters). Irene lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her family where she does her best to "live her poem" every single day by laughing, playing the cello, and walking in the woods.

A renowned fine artist, John Holyfield lives in Fairfax Station, Virgina.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Meet Miss Fancy:
An Amazon Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth
A 2021-2022 Golden Sower Award Nominee
A 2021-2022 Missouri Show Me Readers Book Award Nominee
A Volunteer State Book Award Nominee – 2020-2021
An ILA-CBC Teachers’ Choices Pick – 2020
A Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Pick – 2020
An Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award Nominee – 2019–2020

★ “Meet Miss Fancy should be savored for its joyous, vibrant renderings of Avondale’s African American community and families, so full of movement and light that they often resemble stills from an animated film. This is a gem of a story.” —Booklist, starred review
 
“Create[s] a window into the Jim Crow South while also telling a compelling tale.”—Horn Book

“[An] introduction to segregation…that may snatch at kids’ hearts and lead to more exploration.”—BCCB

“Quality storytelling and beautiful art allow a likable protagonist to shine.” —Kirkus

From the Publisher

03/01/2019

K-Gr 2—A heartwarming story set in the early 1900's about a young boy who desperately want to befriend an elephant. Latham's story is loosely based on a true circus elephant that retired to live in a park in Birmingham, Alabama. Frank, a black boy who draws elephants, talks about elephants, and dreams of meeting an elephant, might just get his wish. Frank and his classmates learn that a circus elephant needs a new home and collect pennies to help the city of Birmingham buy Miss Fancy. Frank is overcome with excitement as he awaits the day Miss Fancy would arrive. Crowds of people come out to greet the elephant as she is led from the train station to her enclosure in the local park. Frank gets his first glance of Miss Fancy but discovers he is unable to get a closer view because the park is for whites only. Frank is heartbroken, but he discovers a tree that overlooks the elephant enclosure and visits every day. Frank continues to ask if he can go into the park, his mother and minster think they have an idea. They ask the city for a permit to have a church picnic in the park. Unfortunately, the picnic is called off due to the prospect of trouble. Meanwhile, Miss Fancy has been having a bit of fun herself by escaping from her habitat. And one morning Miss Fancy arrives on Frank's doorstep. Overcome with joy, Frank leads her back to the park and with the love and care he shows he is finally allowed to visit Miss Fancy properly. VERDICT The story of Miss Fancy is a joy to read. For younger readers, it not only explores the adventures of Frank and Miss Fancy, but also touches on the race issues in the South during the 1900's. This would be a fine addition to any children's library.—Erin Olsen, The Brearley School, NY

School Library Journal

2018-11-12

A young boy helps raise money to bring an elephant to his town, but will he get to touch it like the other children do?

Frank can't wait to welcome Miss Fancy to her new home in nearby Avondale Park. But a sign stops him: "No Colored Allowed." He climbs a tree and tosses peanuts to Miss Fancy, but it isn't close enough. He can't bring himself to break the law by entering the park. He asks the Rev. Brooks what he can do. They decide to write a letter asking the city to allow their congregation to have a Sunday picnic at the park. They get plenty of signatures, and their request is approved, but then the Rev. Brooks brings the sad news to Frank that they won't have the picnic after all, because " ‘there could be trouble.'…‘Trouble' meant black people could be hurt or worse." Finally, Frank ingeniously finds a way to lead Miss Fancy out of the park and then back. For returning her, he is rewarded with his dream. Readers will feel for Frank from the first page; his singular goal is a brilliant vehicle for making the injustice of segregation concrete for young readers while telling an interesting story based on historical events (as described in an author's note). Holyfield's skillful artwork uses complex color blends, light, and shadow with stylized form to create memorable characters and scenes. Unfortunately, while the upbeat ending is good for Frank, it elides the decades of Jim Crow that followed the events of the story.

Quality storytelling and beautiful art allow a likable protagonist to shine. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews