Author and illustrator Brian Lies visited Sherman's in Boothbay Harbor on August 11, part of his five-day tour along the Maine coast celebrating his newest Bat book, “Bats in the Band.”

Driving his batwagon, with a PVC pipe organ on the side and large bats on the roof, Lies and his wife Laurel Lies set up shop outside the bookstore to sign books, encourage impromptu musical numbers on the pipe organ, and do readings of Lies' newest book from an enormous copy, which allowed the audience to clearly see the pictures.

Kazoos were handed out to young and old, encouraging them to create spontaneous music, and a table of musical “implements” (including colorful PVC pipe) was available for people to play with.

The whole day was more like a party than a quiet book signing. In an interview in early August, Lies said he “avoid(s) the typical thing, the morose guy behind the card table in the store hoping someone will beat a path back to him. We'd rather have some fun!”