Spotted at the Briar Patch

I traveled through Bangor, Maine recently, where I stopped in at the Briar Patch bookstore. We have some great independent bookstores down here in Portland, Maine, but none that are dedicated specifically to children’s books. What a fantastic store–if you find yourself in Bangor, I highly recommend that you stop in! Say hi to Gibran behind the counter.

While I was at the Briar Patch, I felt proud and honored to see Azalea, Unschooled on display next to the books of Maine writers Cynthia Lord and Anne Sibley O’Brien. Annie O’Brien is a friend of mine, and I had the privilege of seeing her new picture book, I’m New Here, go through various stages of creation. It is a powerful and touching book about the school experiences of children new to the United States (the New York Times agrees).