With so much sad news in the world today, it’s easy to lose track of all the love and kindness that’s still out there. It was almost overwhelming how much of it was squeezed into one little bookstore for one glorious day.

For three years in a row, I AM Books has had the honor and privilege of hosting Tomie dePaola, whose books have filled the lives of countless children and adults with so much love and kindness. Every year, people have braved the cold and stood in line for hours, patiently waiting to have a few precious moments with the source of all that joy.