Where to Buy

Looking around the grand opening at Parnassus Books and all the happy children's faces watching the puppet truck I thought, 
"Darn, forgot to blog about this." 
But Saturday at least, Parnassus didn't need the publicity. 
I assume Ann Patchett (above) classy novelist and bookstore investor was there, and thanks to a nudge from a friend I saw and recognized Nicole Kidman (I've seen her before at kid-centric stuff and thought her just a particularly tall and good looking mom).
But the real story was the kids crowded around the puppet truck  The World of Mother Goose and the solid kids section behind
them. 
Why write about a bookstore? A real bookstore can offer far more to you and your kid with autism than the internet can. 
In any bookstore you can actually look at the books-look around
the room and let something catch your eye without knowing what you wanted when you walked in. Your kid can pick out a book on his/her own that is theirs to keep. And sometimes a knowledgeable staff can really help you out.
I still visit Chicago's 57th Street Books regularly and always want more than I buy (the mark of a great bookstore). Last trip I was enchanted by the Iona Opie / Rosemary Wells Nursery Rhyme 
book blocks, perfect for young readers.
What local bookstore do you treasure? 
Do you still have one? We do-now.
-Spectrum Mom

* Click to check out Leisa Hammett's pondering how Nashville may prove worthy of
its new bookstore bounty.