The wonderment of watching kids imagine at Minneapolis Library book reading event!
By Kakie Fitzsimmons, Vice President and founding partner, Farmer’s Hat Productions. Co-author, Bur Bur and Friends, a children’s book series that uses a cast of multicultural characters who educate kids about sports and outdoor exploration
When we started writing the Bur Bur and Friends book series, I don’t think we thought about the little victories that would come along the way. This past Saturday we had a book reading at the Minneapolis Library. Seeing our books on display at the library with the catalog numbers on the spine was quite exhilarating.
But the real reward came as we read the books to the children and witnessed their participation and enjoyment. Since our books educate kids about sports and outdoor exploration, when we have a reading we perform acts of the sport like rowing, pulling in a fish from the line, swimming, swinging a bat, etc. It is then quite natural for the kids to join in and do the same.
There was one little boy in particular who was quite entertaining to me and all of the other adults in the room. It was like he became part of the Bur Bur world and was fully entrenched in it. There was something about his demeanor that brought each of us back to our own childhood when things were carefree and laid back.
The first book I read was Bur Bur’s Boating ABC’s and he kept pretending he was in front of a big pond and jumping in saying, “I am swimming! SPLASH!”
Second, I read the the fishing book, Bur Bur’s Fishing Adventure. As I came to the end of the book he announced with a gleam in his eye; “I have a fishing pole!” to which I responded; “You do? That is terrific!” And then he said, “Yes, and I have a tackle box too!” His mom looks at me smiling, shaking her head mouthing the words, “No he does not.” But he was in this world and when kids are there, we owe it to ourselves and to them to go with it. He loved the attention and we loved watching his enjoyment of the attention.
Next I read the baseball book, Bur Bur Throws Out the First Pitch. For the first half of the book he kept swinging his imaginary bat over and over and over. Next he would swing and run saying, “First base, second base, third base, HOME RUN!”
So often in this world we teach our kids. The extra special moments are when they teach us. I think that little boy sent us a gift of being in the present moment. Kids seem to do that often and sometimes it can keep us centered. We just need to pay attention in that small space of time and enjoy. As an author, the lesson I learned from this boy was the the impact we can have on these kids. It opened my eyes to the value of the education and entertainment in our writing. Although I will probably never see that little guy again, I am thankful for the precious moments spent watching him. For me, it really exemplified why we do the work we do.
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