A good children's bookstore should be like a good children's book: It should appeal to a child's sensibilities while not turning off the adults. Red Balloon walks this delicate balance, attracting children with its colorful, kid-level displays but never dumbing down the reading process. Along with the inevitable Potter mélange you can find timeless classics by authors such as A.A. Milne and Frances Hodgson Burnett, the classics of fleeting youth, such as the Harold and the Purple Crayon books, and all the recent prize winners, from the Caldecott Medal to the American Book Awards. And here's the thing that makes Red Balloon different in the end: Its staff is knowledgeable about and enamored with the entire process. So if you're an adult who has a thing for children's books, Red Balloon is a place where you can find both good reading material and acceptance.