This book began over 30 years ago when a friend told me about her nephew taking some coins from a fountain at a Chinese restaurant.  It is a story about a boy who loves to pretend on his walk to school each day. Today, his pretend play gets him into trouble. But fear not, he and his mom figure out a way to fix his mistake.

I tried, unsuccessfully, to find an illustrator many times over the years. Last year I contacted the principal of Ossining High School to see if any students might be interested. Kyle Burden, a sophomore, took a liking to the story and designed this beautiful cover. He proved to be not only a talented artist, but gave many insights into the layout of the book.

Ironically, Kyle had attended For Kids Only as a kindergartener at Park School and his mother was one of my daughter's teachers in middle school. It truly is a small world.

Remembering Riley
Riley Saper was a former student at For Kids Only, who passed away in 2010 from complications related to leukemia. Riley was a remarkable young man, and a good student who finished his 7th grade studies.

His family is establishing a scholarship in his memory. Children and staff at For Kids Only will be raising money this year to help fund this worthwhile venture. Through your purchase of the book Danny the Pretend Pirate, you will be contributing $1.00 toward this scholarship. Your help is appreciated.

Copies of the book are available at $10.00 each at the Center. They are also available by mail. Click here to contact us. 

Wendy Masserman

The has a great article on Wendy, Danny, and For Kids Only.

You can find Danny on his FaceBook page. Click--> to visit.