Pancake & Hen is by far the most rewarding thing I've ever written. It was an idea I kept on the back burner for a long time, and when I finally began writing these short stories, it was like a trip back to the imagination of my youth. Yes, it sounds cliché, possibly even lame, but it was terribly fun to write of a time when anything is possible and the mind can create swords from sticks, conjure up monsters in every shadow, and make each new experience so fresh and new. I hope to get these illustrated someday, to have pictures to complement the writing. I think that of any of my books, this collection is definitely the most marketable to the widest audience of readers.
This is the collection of most of my short stories about Pancake & Hen, which are about a curious pair of children. The boy is energetic and prone to flights of fancy, while the girl is a bit tricky and likes to act more grownup than her age. They explore the world with the wide-eyed imagination and open-mindedness that only children have. Everything around them is fascinating, and anything is possible. Each chapter is a stand-alone short story. Included in this volume are the following short stories:
The Nature of Names - Leave No Child Unnamed, Lest They Disappear
The Castle in the Willows - The Disenchanted Forest
Contrary - Everything But Right
King of the Ants - Learn to Live Like Another
Of the Elderly and Kissing - Clearly Two Horrible Things
Touching the Sky - Of Angels and Eagles
Caverns and Toadstools - Faerie Secrets and Hidden Dragons
Mother Versus Father - Opinions and Infallibility
A Visit to the Pond Goes Awry - Cannonballs and Great Falls
Tanglemouse and Mr. Samson - Cat Dreams and Stolen Cheese
The Forest Dragon - Influences and the Influenced
The Egg of Dreams - Of Magic in Small Places
The Shade Tree and Old Man Weather - Lost and Found
This is my second collection of Pancake & Hen stories. I've decided to start the book with the introductory chapter from the first book, to keep a little continuity. This was a revisitation of some of my favorite characters ever. As with the last collection, each chapter is a stand-alone short story. Included in this volume are ten new short stories exploring the enchanting world of Pancake and Hen, including:
The Nature of Names - Leave No Child Unnamed, Lest They Disappear
Pancake and Puppy - Everyone Loves Pancakes
Brown Bread and Wool - Real Boys Have Chest Hair
The Mud Hole Trap - Bullfrogs and Baths
The Ghost in the Garden - Howls and Hauntings
Blanket Thieves - Bedroom Burglars
Grandma - The Great Weaver
Rooster and Hen - Mismatches and Misnomers
The War in the Willows - Return to the Great Castle
Diamonds and Gold - Jewels for Fools and Big Payoffs
All of the old stories have been collected into this one final volume, with five new stories added. Previous issues with editing and layout have been fixed, and you have a nice new cover. This book is also available in e-book format. The new stories are:
The Nature of Luck - Wishing Wells and Spent Coins