“Growing kids through diverse learning experiences”
Kakie Fitzsimmons is vice president and founding partner of Farmer’s Hat Productions, which recently was awarded for Bur Bur and Friendsâ„¢ Product Line

By Katie Mintz, courtesy of Sun Newspapers

One Apple Valley woman is turning her passion for writing, and literally her son, into an award-winning venture.

Kakie Fitzsimmons is co-author of the “Bur Bur and Friends” children’s book series with a cast of multicultural characters, including Mateo, who is based on her 7-year-old son. (more…)

By Kate Kunkel, Lake Minnetonka Magazine
February, 2008

The view from JoAnne Pastel’s living room window really does remind you of a storybook world. Trees frame the winter shoreline of Long Lake, sparkling in the sunlight that illuminates the ice on the branches. Look for a moment, it isn’t hard to imagine long summer days where a family fishes together from the shore before taking a stroll through a quiet lakeside neighborhood. It’s quite literally a scene from a children’s book. Several books, in fact. (more…)