MORE PIES started as a lunchtime story in 1973 at the Bay Area Childcare Center in Coos Bay Oregon. I had no idea that it would ever be a book. It was just a funny story to tell before lunch. Unlike a lot of my stories, the character in it was not a real kid. This was a problem when, years later, I decided to make it into a book. I had no picture of Samuel to send to Michael Martchenko.
I could have used a kid I knew, but it seemed to me that after 27 years of being a Samuel story, it was too late to change.
SO
I decided to wait until a Samuel wrote me a fan letter. Since I get about 10,000 letters a year, I knew that one would write eventually, and one finally did after I had waited only 4 months.
The Samuel wrote me an excellent letter. I had no idea what he looked like, but I wrote back and asked if he wanted to be in a book. He did.
So Samuel sent me pictures of his family and his house. Then a strange thing happened, the story changed because of Samuel’s pictures and Samuel’s little brother ended up being in the story along with Samuel.
I know this is a strange way to write a book, but it works for me!
More Pies!
Written by Robert Munsch.
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko.
Published by Scholastic Canada, 2002.
