All Aboard

The writing of these stories strung together as chapters but really imagined independently took me over. I couldnt 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