"The writing of these stories, strung together as chapters but really imagined independently, took me over. I couldn't wait to sit at my computer each night, write, and read the results to Sue, my wife (I should say "Grandma Sue"). I . . . realized it would make sense to complete . . . as a book that I could give to [my grandson] Alexander. . . . I was successful in doing that. The stories are about him and me, but they are also about myself as a child, and my past and present family, as seen through my eyes. They are a blend of invention and recalled facts. The decision to make Kenny and Benny eight, going on nine, was spontaneous, and . . . a good idea . . . because . . . older children might have more opportunities for adventure than younger children."

--Howard Lester Schwartz