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MEET ROBIN PREISS GLASSER (Illustrator Fancy Nancy series)
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

Robin Preiss Glasser

There were two things I most liked to do when I was young – dance and draw. I studied ballet from the age of five, and in fact, professional ballet was my first career. I was a soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet for 11 years, and during my weeks of downtime when the company was not performing, I would take art classes. I had loved to draw since I was a child, so when I stopped dancing at the age of 29, I went back to school to study children’s book illustration.

How soon after you graduated from college did you get your first book published?

By now I have illustrated more than 30 books, but getting that very first book was very difficult! It took me five years from graduation from the Parsons The New School for Design in New York to land that first book contract. I was quite old when I went to college after retiring from ballet, but this worked to my advantage since I had developed discipline and a willingness to work hard to achieve my goals. I may not be the most talented at something, but I probably am the most determined!

Are there other ways that ballet has influenced your art?

When I was a dancer, I often did story ballets, where a lot of the story is told in mime – gesture and body movement with no words. I tend to pose my characters in positions that tell a story just by their posture and demeanor, as I would have done it myself if I was telling the story on stage through body language. Nancy, from the Fancy Nancy series, is particularly expressive since she is such a drama queen and feels emotions so strongly.

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

 My favorite books were ELOISE, by Kay Thompson, illustrated by one of my favorite children’s book illustrators Hilary Knight, and HARRIET THE SPY by Louise Fitzhugh. I love children's books about characters or subjects that aren't precious or demure. I love humor and a bit of naughtiness, and in the case of Hilary Knight’s illustrations, I was influenced by his pictures that tell a story even without words.

Do you enjoy researching or do you prefer working totally from your imagination?

Different books take different kinds of research, but I always draw from reality; my characters and their actions are always based on real life. For instance, when I illustrated Lynne Cheney’s OUR 50 STATES, each of the hundreds of illustrations relied on some kind of background photo study (either from the internet or through research in books) in order to get an accurate depiction of the subject. With FANCY NANCY, characters are often based on people in my life, so for example, Nancy’s father has more than a passing resemblance to my husband Bob, and Nancy herself is modeled on my niece Jessie when she was a little girl and loved to dress up. Everyone and everything in my life is fair game, and sooner or later will end up in my illustrations!

Which of your books did you most enjoy illustrating?

I’m very lucky that from my first book, a sequel to Judith Viorst’s ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY, I’ve been able to pick and choose what books I wanted to work on, and I have loved every one of them. I’m so fortunate to have been able to work with great authors, and also some celebrities, so my work is interesting and fun. But to be very honest, FANCY NANCY’S Nancy is my favorite to draw because I understand her so deeply and even identify with her – we both love high drama and sparkly things!

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

I currently have more than three books in the works, and am juggling other projects as well that go along with some of my books, like collaborating on dolls or accessories. There are more Fancy Nancy books planned in the series, from picture books to “I Can Read” books; I have a new title, TEA FOR RUBY, that I illustrated for Great Britain’s Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson that is coming out this fall; and I’m developing characters for a birthday story I’m doing with my sister, author Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman.

What do you most want the students to get out of your school visits?

I hope students take away two things from my school visits: the joy of expressing themselves and the importance of being true to oneself. Nancy embodies both these characteristics, and FANCY NANCY author Jane O’Connor gives children wonderful vocabulary in every book and encourages them to be playful with the words they choose and to enjoy the act of communicating. Furthermore, Nancy is very clear about who she is and what makes her happy, and her parents encourage her to follow her muse. I encourage all the children I meet to laugh and dance and enjoy reading books.