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Apple Valley Magazine - An interview with Kakie Fitzsimmons, an entrepreneur, single mother and co-author of the award winning children’s book series, Bur Bur and Friends.

By Valerie Tukey - Apple Valley Magazine
January, 2008

Seven years ago, when her son, Isaiah, was born, Kakie Fitzsimmons began to write. As a single mother of a biracial son, she started a journal full of her thoughts, values and struggles in hope of giving it to Isaiah someday. Little did she know that her love for writing personal letters soon would bloom into a career of creating children’s books.

It all began in July of 2005, when Fitzsimmons received a call from her good friend, JoAnne Pastel. “JoAnne knew that I had a strong interest in writing,” Fitzsimmons says. “She put a children’s book together and asked me to take a look at it.” After a glance at the book, soon to become Bur Bur and Friends, a smile spread across Fitzsimmons’s face. With a few changes, she zipped the corrections back to Pastel. From there, the two decided to work together on the children’s series. Fitzsimmons became the vice president and co-founder of Farmer’s Hat Productions – the umbrella company that produces the Bur Bur and Friends series.

But unlike most kid stories, the two mothers – Fitzsimmons with 7-year-old Isaiah and Pastel with 5-year-old William – wanted to weave a theme that was present in their own lives; diversity.

“When I was looking for books for my son, there weren’t any characters that looked like him, “Pastel says of her biracial child. “My hope is to help children see that there are people in the world who look just like them. It’s true to life to share a diverse group of characters.”

With a thread of multiculturalism running through the series, playing sports and staying active were additional themes the two authors wanted to include. “Obesity is a big issue right now,” Fitzsimmons says. “Our books aren’t the answer to the issue, but if you start educating children at a young age, research shows that they will develop [healthy] passions.”

So far, the Bur Bur and Friends series includes three books, Bur Bur’s Fishing Adventure, Bur Bur Throws Out the First Pitch and Anna Goes Hiking. Each book shows readers that playing outside, participating in sports can be fun. And even if you’ve never tried it before, it’s okay because Bur Bur hasn’t either. “All the characters in our books go through some kind of a first-time experience,” Fitzsimmons says, “We always include educational information in the back to help kids learn about the subject.” From figuring out what to pack for a fishing trip, to discovering new forest animals, With Bur Bu8r’s help children can learn while reading.

But who is Bur Bur? “Bur Bur was William’s imaginary friend,” Pastel says. “As we were thinking about writing this book, I kept thinking about what or who Bur Bur was.” It turns out, Bur Bur is a person just like William, who comes from a mixed background. “William really created Bur Bur,” she says, As for Anna, she is one of Bur Bur’s six friends. Among the others is Mateo, who is an illustrative drawing of Fitzsimmons’s son Isaiah. “To me Isaiah is my inspiration,” Fitzsimmons says, “When he came into my life my whole purpose completely changed.”

Now, as a single mother and four-year resident of Apple Valley resident, Fitzsimmons’s role in creating Bur Bur and Friends is a simple addition to her full-time job as a regional training manager at Ameriprise Financial. “It really is a balancing act sometimes,” she says. “So I just use humor, I laugh at it. Because even though right now it’s all chaos, I know that someday I will look back and really miss it.”

Still, for Fitzsimmons, the children’s series is just the beginning. Stories about soccer, dance, football, hockey and swimming are in the works. Each story will include all seven of the Bur Bur characters: Mateo, Lilly, Anna, Conner, Kenya, Joey and of course, Bur Bur. This way, readers will begin to establish a connection with an assorted group.

Beyond books, and after Bur Bur becomes a household name, the two Minnesota authors hope t depict a real, walking, talking boy. “We are working with someone on animation right now,” Fitzsimmons says. “We aren’t sure where we are going to go with it. For us, it’s the next step.”

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