Once upon a time there was a little boy who asked his mother if he could have a pet.
The little boy’s name is Payton Burk. His mother’s name is Kathleen Weatherford. His question led to the two collaborating on their first children’s book, If You Take A Cicada Home as a Pet, in 2022.
They recently completed their second book, If You Take A Groundhog Home as a Pet. The new book launched on January 30th — Burk’s 10th birthday — at a book signing at Novel in Laurelwood Shopping Center.
"If You Take a Groundhog Home as a Pet"
Weatherford, a metalsmith/jewelry artist whose custom-made pieces sell across the country at high-end stores, says Burk was 7 years old when he got a homework assignment to write what it’s like to have a pet. He said, “Oh, mom. I don’t even have a pet,” Weatherford says.
“He’d been begging to have a pet,” but the family is “on the go a lot,” so Weatherford told him, “You don’t need a pet.”
On their way to school, she and her son saw a cicada which appeared to be sleeping. “It looks like a little alien to him. And it flies off. I said, ‘Oh, man. That could have been your pet.’ He got so upset. He said, ‘Now I really don’t have a pet.’”
But, she adds, “That’s when we started the journey of writing.”
But starting that day, Weatherford and Burk began composing a book to and from school each day about what it would be like to have a cicada for a pet. “We would text little pieces of the story in the voice texts on my phone.”
They’d compile everything and organize their thoughts after he got home from school. Burk was learning sentence structure without even knowing it.
Weatherford also realized putting a book together was helping Burk’s recently-diagnosed ADHD.
When the book was completed, Weatherford hired Victoria Trum from Moldavia in Eastern Europe to illustrate the book.
Weatherford self-published the book, which she originally gave as family Christmas presents. She put the leftover books at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin, Tennessee. “They sold out every time.”
Last winter, Burk asked his mother if they could write another book. “He was getting really tired of winter because he couldn’t play outside.”
Weatherford told him, “We’d better hope the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow. Burk came up with the idea of someone capturing the groundhog as a pet so it won’t be able to see its shadow. The result would be an early spring. If You Take a Groundhog Home as a Pet was born.
Creating a book together was much more than just a pastime, Weatherford says. “The whole purpose was to help him with the creative part of his brain where he was learning, but not knowing he was learning.”
Working on the book helped him in school. “His grades improved substantially,” Weatherford says. “He’s excelling.”
And, she says, “He’s not so frustrated. He doesn’t get so upset. He thinks, ‘I need to step back and organize these thoughts in my head.’”
More books are on the horizon, Weatherford says. “We’re looking at 10 books we have right now on our vision board.”
They dedicate a certain amount of time each day to writing. They’ll sit down, put some ideas on paper, and then come back to them later. After they finish the text, the two talk about what type of illustrations will go with each part of the book. “It’s teaching him to organize, slow down, patience, ask for help. All the things you struggle with in ADHD.”
They send the completed parts of the book to Trum before Burk goes to sleep at night. “When we’re going to bed, she’s getting her day started. So, I have to have these thoughts organized.”
Then, she says, “I’ll wake up the next morning and she’ll have a draft of it.”
Photo: Gretchen Shaw
Kathleen Weatherford and Payton Burk
Weatherford and Burk attended WriterFest Nashville about a month ago at Belmont University. They’ve taken some short book tours with their first book, but they’re planning a longer book tour this summer with both books. As well as, hopefully, a new book by then, she says. “We’re hoping to get it done by the end of the school year.”
Burk is ready to move on to the next phase of book writing. He recently asked, “Mom, is there any way we can start writing chapter books?”
Weatherford responded, “Maybe one day you can take over and start writing chapter books.”
Burk also came up with a side project: a hot sauce called “Burning Bunghole,” which they’re already selling.
“Every time he comes to me with an idea, I jump on it. I love it. I love that he’s using that creative part of his brain. Let dreams inspire you.”
And, she adds, “The sky’s the limit whatever we decide to do. I want to do whatever I can to help him.”
Weatherford’s advice to parents? “Just get to know your kids. Spend time with them. Put your phones away. We need to slow down and look at what’s in front of us. Figure out what makes your child tick.”
And, hopefully, everyone will live happily ever after.
To order the books online, go here.