Robin Preiss Glasser facts for kids

Robin Preiss Glasser (born in 1956) is an American illustrator. She is most famous for drawing the pictures for the Fancy Nancy series of children's picture books. These popular books, written by Jane O'Connor, started in 2005.

Early Life and Learning

Robin Preiss Glasser grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York. She was one of four sisters. One of her sisters, Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman, also became a children's writer.

Robin went to the Professional Children's School in Manhattan. At the same time, she trained to be a ballet dancer at the American Ballet Theatre school.

Her Career as an Artist

Before becoming an illustrator, Glasser was a professional ballet dancer. She was a main dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet. However, she had to stop dancing because of a back injury.

When she was 30, she went back to school. She studied at Parsons School of Design/The New School and earned a degree in fine arts.

First Big Illustration Jobs

After graduating, Glasser worked on different illustration jobs for five years. Then, in 1995, she was asked to illustrate a book called Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move. This book was written by Judith Viorst. It was a follow-up to the well-known book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Robin also worked with her sister, Jacqueline Weitzman, on a book called You Can't Take a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum. This book tells an adventure story through New York City. It was named an ALA Notable Book in 1998. Later, it won the Phoenix Picture Book Award. Glasser also illustrated books for other famous writers, including Garrison Keillor and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.

She also worked on three books with Lynne Cheney, who was the wife of the Vice President at the time. They first met in 2001.

The Fancy Nancy Books

In 2005, Glasser teamed up with writer Jane O’Connor to create the Fancy Nancy books. This series became very popular. There are now more than 80 books in the series.

The Fancy Nancy books have spent over 330 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list. More than 48 million copies have been sold! In 2013, young people voted for their favorite illustrator. Glasser won the Illustrator of the Year award for Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet.

Fancy Nancy on TV

Disney Junior turned Glasser's popular character, Fancy Nancy, into an animated TV show. The show, called Fancy Nancy (TV series), first aired on July 13, 2018. It was so popular that Disney Junior ordered a second season even before the first one started. A third season was ordered before the second season premiered on October 4, 2019.

Disney also created a licensing program for Fancy Nancy. This included a life-size character at Disney theme parks and on cruise ships around the world.

In the fall of 2025, the Fancy Nancy book series will celebrate its 20th anniversary. A new book from the original creators, O'Connor and Glasser, is coming out. It's called Fancy Nancy: Besties for Eternity. This story is about new friends, old friends, and the special magic of lasting friendship.

Other Collaborations

Glasser continues to work with best-selling author Ann Patchett. They met when Glasser was on a book tour for Fancy Nancy. Patchett's first children's book, Lambslide, was published on May 7, 2019. Their second book, Escape Goat, came out in the fall of 2020. The Verts: A Story of Introverts and Extroverts was published in 2024. Another book, Button at the Book Store, is expected in 2026.

Glasser also returned to her ballet background to illustrate Grand Jeté and Me. This book was with New York City Ballet legend Allegra Kent. In 2020, American Ballet Theatre and Penguin Random House started a publishing program. They asked Glasser to write and illustrate a story about her own childhood love for dancing. Gloria's Promise: A Ballet Dancer's First Step was written with her sister Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman. It was published in March 2023. In spring 2025, the sisters worked together again on Flower Girls: A Story of Sisters.

In 2015, Robin Preiss Glasser was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Orange County, California.

Personal Life

Robin Preiss Glasser lives in San Juan Capistrano, California with her husband, Robert Berman. She has an adult son and daughter. Glasser has also faced and overcome health challenges twice.