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