Ms. Graves grew up in the Midwest in the fifties like the children in this book. She hopes the book gives her readers a sense of when childhood meant playing with friends until dark, reading comic ...view moreMs. Graves grew up in the Midwest in the fifties like the children in this book. She hopes the book gives her readers a sense of when childhood meant playing with friends until dark, reading comic books, riding bikes, and watching Saturday morning cartoons on TV. And an eccentric neighbor could bring a summer full of adventure to kids with plenty of carefree time. Ms. Graves is not an accomplished artist, but thoroughly enjoys drawing the pictures as much as writing the stories. She wants to encourage children to draw for the fun of it, even if it’s not perfect.view less