For more than 45 years, the teachers at Pilgrim Community Nursery School have shaped the lives of countless students from across Oak Park and surrounding communities.

Now, those teachers are helping to breathe “life” into a fictional character.

Sometime next year, readers of New York Times Best Selling Author Elizabeth Berg will meet Jane, a retired nursery school teacher who still wears trinkets made by her students, and whose on-the-job experiences contribute to her world view, according to Berg.

“I began writing this book knowing the protagonist was going to be a preschool teacher,” she said. “And she needed to have some of the characteristics I had associated with nursery school teachers.”

That’s where Pilgrim School comes into play.

Berg, who lives in Oak Park, said Jane’s persona will ultimately be shaped by the time the author has spent at the school in recent weeks. During that time, Berg has attended staff meetings, talked with teachers and observed classes. On a recent Thursday afternoon, she even partook in snack time with the children. All of this will help add realistic texture to her novel.

“I noticed how some of the vernacular from their classrooms carried into the staff meeting, and I used that (in shaping dialogue for Jane),” Berg said. “And Jane’s character was on point in terms of their deep appreciation for the kids. She has a huge heart.”

Berg, whose work includes “Once Upon a Time, There Was You,” and “Home Safe,” said she was relatively unfamiliar with Pilgrim School when she reached out to School Director Ruth Martin and asked if she could spend time at the school.

Martin instantly agreed, and Berg almost immediately began to gain a sense of what Pilgrim is about.

“I’ve been in other nursery school classrooms, and (Pilgrim) is different. I got a good sense of why people send their kids there in the first place,” Berg said. “I find that place to be exceptionally warm and free and loving and supportive.”

In fact, Berg was so taken with Pilgrim that she said she may volunteer there when time permits. Martin said Berg will always be welcome.

“She was great with the kids, and our teachers have enjoyed meeting her,” Martin said. “She’s welcome here any time.”

For now, however, the author will concentrate on developing Jane and the other characters in her new book, which she said is likely to hit shelves in time for summer vacation reading.

“I’m probably at the midpoint now,” Berg said of her writing. “I’ve had a book every spring, but this one will probably be a little later.”