Although the town itself is really the main character, among its colorful denizens are young Cissy Sissney and her classmate Kookie Warboys; a Swedish baker who selects his mail-order bride based on the temperature of her hands ("hands cold for pastry must be"); and a wonderfully portrayed (though completely illiterate) schoolteacher who perforce instructs her class in lighting wet kindling and plucking prairie falcons.

Then I must say--as I was watching the cars go by--I started having kookie ideas.

After first hitting stores in October, Get Kookie has been selling steadily, and Pasarow expects a big boost when the Wal-Mart agreement is completed.