One of Emma’s favorite books lately is Fancy Nancy. You may have noticed that she has a thing for high heels, frilly skirts and tiaras. Nancy does, too, and tries to teach her hum-drum family how to become fancy.

The illustrator, Robin Preiss Glasser, was at A Whale of A Tale recently to read from the new Nancy book, Fancy Nancy and The Posh Puppy. We couldn’t pass this up! (Glasser is a Newport Beach resident, it seems. AWoAT is even featured on a bulletin board in the book.)

Emma fancied up with a lovely scarf, her pink puppy purse, tassels and a matching tiara and wand. Oh, so posh! (That’s a fancy word for fancy.) Emma wasn’t alone in dressing up. The crowd of young girls in their outfits was simply amazing. Everyone was decked out, just like Nancy in the book.

Following the book reading we waited around to get Posh Puppy signed. Emma and Henry were decidedly un-posh while we were waiting and spent most of their time climbing trees and getting sweaty. How utterly common of them!

I took my big, honkin’ zoom lens (Canon 70-200L) and got quite a few people asking if I was taking pictures for the newspaper. I should have said, “Why yes! And we’d love to put your daughter on the front page of the local section tomorrow!” I was honest, however, and said no that I was, in fact, just a nerd.

Marla snuck in a special treat for me for father’s day and had Glasser sign Daddy’s Girl, which she’d also illustrated. I suspect that this was intended as a Father’s Day gift but the fact that I was there taking of a picture of Glasser signing it kind of ruined the surprise.