Piper Green is a quirky little girl who lives on a Maine island, rides a lobster boat to school and, when we meet her, wears monkey earmuffs — even though it’s warm out. They belonged to her older brother, Erik.
She also is the main character in two new, imaginative children’s books written by a Castine author.
“Piper Green and the Fairy Tree” and “Piper Green and the Fairy Tree: Too Much Good Luck” by Ellen Potter hit stores Aug. 4. The books explore different moments in the second-grader’s life, from coming to terms with her older brother going to high school off-island to what happens when it seems her luck is too good.
Recommended for readers in grades two through four, the chapter books have just over 100 pages each and are filled with imaginative illustrations by artist Qin Leng.
Potter said the idea for the Piper Green series came from “two different things that sort of collided.” First, a friend had told her a story about a tree in her neighborhood that was taken down by her town. The neighborhood was really upset. Then one man carved a hole in the stump and people began leaving things there.
“If you needed something in the tree, you just took it with the caveat you had to put something in its place,” Potter, who said she was taken by the idea of the give and take of the hole, said.
When she moved to Maine about three years ago, that idea came together with her fascination with island life.
“What impressed me the most was how strong the community was [on Maine’s islands],” Potter said. “It just seemed like a way of life that you don’t see very often. … The childhood of these kids on the island was just kind of dreamy. … They have so much more freedom to roam.”
While researching for her books, Potter said she spent time on Swan’s Island and Vinalhaven, visiting schools, talking to kids and more.
“A lot of my vision of Peek-A-Boo Island was drawn very loosely on Swan’s Island,” Potter said.
The Fairy Tree in the book’s title is an important part of the stories. Based on the tree her friend told her about, Potter added a fairy element to the story providing a magical reason the tree brings so much to Piper’s life as she struggles with the changes.
Potter said the idea to turn the tree into a fairy tree came from a walk in the woods with her three big dogs. They took a path that was different from others.
“This incredible emerald green moss all over. … Even my dogs when we went in there, they would get very quiet,” Potter said of the magical spot. “The fairies just came out of something I kept sensing in these woods.
“This whole state has a very evocative feel for writers. There’s such a long history of writers in this state,” Potter said.
As for the fairy tree? “I wish I had one in my front yard,” Potter said.
The Piper Green books are available at booksellers, including Sherman’s various locations and The Briar Patch on Central Street in Bangor. Potter has a number of book signings coming up. She will be at Witherle Library in Castine at 2 p.m. Aug. 10 for a book signing and fairy house workshop. She will be signing books at Sherman’s Books in Camden at 1 p.m. Aug. 12. A book signing and fairy tree workshop also is planned for The Briar Patch, from 2 to 3 p.m. Aug. 14. Potter will be at Jesup Library in Bar Harbor at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 15 for a book signing and fairy house workshop, as well.