SAVANNAH AND THE NUTZY NANNY

In this children’s picture book, a young girl’s parents replace her relaxed nanny with a perfectionist one.

When white, preschool-aged Savannah’s room gets messy, due to toys strewn everywhere, Nanny Rose, a middle-aged white woman, helps her put them away. Savannah is happy with this arrangement, but when her parents read about a young girl who can “already read, write poetry, and play the violin with the Symphony Orchestra,” they decide to replace Nanny Rose with someone more “organized and educational”: Nanny Nutzy. The severe, frowning woman replaces Savannah’s toys with three colored plastic balls: “These balls…contain no asbestos, lead paint or deadly germs,” Nutzy says. “They will never influence a child to hack off her hair and live like a kooky goth supermodel.” Savannah learns to read, write, and play violin, but her parents begin to worry about her new, Nutzy-like frown. They restore Nanny Rose, and love returns to Savannah’s life. In her debut book, Brady tells an amusing story about the difference between happiness and perfectionism while also admitting that Rose could challenge Savannah more. “Questions to Think About,” included in the backmatter, helpfully provide space to consider such matters more fully. The photographic images are effectively staged and comical, suggesting that Nutzy is simply Rose with an exaggerated glower and austere hairdo.

A humorous approach to the value of discipline.