After raising money to bring Miss Fancy to Birmingham, Frank cannot wait to get to see an elephant in real life. His dreams are swiftly crushed when he realizes he can’t go to the park because he is black. Frank hatches a plan to make his dream come true and meet Miss Fancy.
The setting of this book is 1913 in Birmingham, a time where segregation and inequality were at their peak. The setting itself forces the reader to put themselves in that perspective and in Frank’s shoes, where doing something as simple as going to a park could not be done because of one’s skin color. Despite Frank getting knocked down, he never gives up on his dream and wish to meet Miss Fancy. I think this book would be a god one to read in a classroom because while it is a fun book that students will enjoy; it also covers what life was like during this time period. ( )

In Meet Miss Fancy, the author did a great job of conveying the separation of color. During this time, blacks were separated from whites, so they didn't get to do the things that whites were allowed to do. One of those things was meeting Miss Fancy, the new elephant at the park. Frank loved elephants and his dream was to meet one, but because the color of his skin he wasn't able to do that. One day Frank set up a trail of peanuts to his house just incase Miss Fancy escaped the park again. Well, she did and Miss Fancy showed up at Frank's door. He led her back to the park where he was greeted by a white officer. He asked permission to pet the elephant, but instead he got to do something even better. This story has great illustrations that I think will grab the attention of young children. The story also had a great message that anyone, even a person of color, can make a difference. ( )

Frank just wants to meet Miss Fancy the elephant. All of the white children get to meet and pet her, but Frank is forced to look from outside the park due to a "No Colored Allowed" sign. Frank writes a letter to the city commission, but unfortunately it is not enough. Though Frank can't go into the park, Miss Fancy escapes the park and shows up right on Frank's doorstep. This book not only shows children what it was like during segregation, but also tells them to not give up on their dreams. I can picture children rooting for Frank to meet Miss Fancy and cheer as he does. The illustrations are very fun and go with the text perfectly. ( )

I really liked this book. I liked how the author and illustrator showed the way the blacks were separated from the whites and that they could not do as much as the whites were allowed to do. Frank wanted to make the change, and he really wanted to be able to do what the white kids could do. He wanted to touch Miss Fancy like the whites could, and his plan was successful. He led Miss Fancy to his house and was allowed to ride Miss Fancy. This showed that one person can make the difference, and for this story, it was Frank. ( )

An interesting story with beautiful illustrations. A great way to learn about this time in history through this story based on a real elephant. ( )