Review Detail

No, Nancy, No! A Dog Chase in New York

Kids Fiction 262

Give My Regards to Broadway

February 09, 2025 (Updated: June 26, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Nancy, who has already had lift-a-flap adventures in London and at the seaside, finds herself in New York City with her dog, Roger. The two are looking forward to going to the theater, but on their way there, see Candy, the famous poodle starring in the show. Candy's dog walker has tied her loosely to a fire hydrant while he strolls across the street for a hot dog, but when Nancy pets her, Candy runs off. This starts a city wide adventure as Nancy and Roger chase Candy in a cab, onto a carousel, across the park, through the zoo, and even onto a parade float! When Candy swipes a bunch of balloons, she is carried off through the air until she gets caught on the Statue of Liberty. Luckily, Nancy and Roger have followed her and are able to rescue the star and get her to her show on time. There is a fold out map of New York City at the end of the book.

Good Points

This is clearly a fantastical title full of improbably events, and Nancy and Roger are able to traverse the city with no money or adults, and even catch a ferry to finally save Candy. This is goofy good fun. The flaps are integrated into the story, and need to be accessed for the entire plot to emerge, so it is nice to see that they are large and well constructed, so that little hands won't damage the pages.

The refrain of "No, Nancy" moves this along at a frenetic clip, and the illustrations show the chaos that the group leaves in their wake, with damaged cakes and ruffled wedding parties. More and more dogs join the chase as it unrolls, and we see Nancy with all of her canine companions soundly asleep in Candy's dressing room at the end.

Picture books about particular cities are a great way to travel virtually, or to prepare young readers for actual vacations. Pair this one with other books about the Big Apple like Jackson's Trick-or-Treating In the City, Kalman's Next Stop, Grand Central, Funk's Where is Our Library, or Poulain's Pop Up Guide: Cities Around the World.