PAYTON BURK and KATHLEEN WEATHERFORD: IF YOU TAKE A GROUNDHOG HOME AS A PET
Join us as we welcome PAYTON BURK & KATHLEEN WEATHERFO on THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 at 3:30 PM to celebrate the release of their new picture book IF YOU TAKE A GROUNDHOG HOME AS A PET
ABOUT THE BOOK:
If You Take a Groundhog Home as a Pet is the second book from our “Mom and son” co-author series about a very determined little boy hoping to fulfill his dream of finally having a pet. The series was started to inspire a frustrated, ADHD (son and co-author), Payton, to want to learn. The series is written from Payton’s voice and Mom as “guided author” which sets the tone of the relationship for Mom and Payton as they build trust to strengthen their bond to solve the chaos, problems, and even mistakes together as a team. If You Take a Groundhog Home as a Pet, continues to build from the story line of their previous book, If You Take a Cicada Home as a Pet, embarking on how slowing down and paying attention to details impacts not only us but also those around us. This humorous yet educational book on a little boy’s take on Groundhog Day shows the importance of asking for help leading the reader to an unforgetable experience of Payton’s journey to being the local town hero.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Kathleen Weatherford and Payton Burk are a “Mom and son” co-author team of the “It’s Me Payton” book series about a very determined little boy hoping to fulfill his dream of finally having a pet. The series was started to inspire a very frustrated and ADHD, co-author and son, Payton, to want to learn. So far the Mom and son team have published “If You Take a Cicada Home as a Pet” and “If You Take a Groundhog Home as a Pet”, with plans of releasing the third potential pet in the series by May of 2025.
Payton is a fourth grader at Christ Methodist Day School in Memphis who loves sports, Georgia bulldogs, Memphis Tigers, traveling, and creating hot sauce for his hot sauce company that he co-owns with Mom called “Burning Bunghole- the kind of burn that lingers”. (Yes, our creative co-author, Payton named the company!) Throughout the series, you will see Payton’s favorite things featured in the illustrations.
Kathleen Weatherford, “Mom”, is a metalsmith and jewelry designer for her jewelry company, Grace by Kathleen Weatherford. She started her career in music and songwriting then entered the commercial insurance industry after moving home after her father’s diagnosis with a terminal cancer. Kathleen has always had a love for fundraising and has served on numerous boards including the Insurors of Memphis, the Insurors of Tennessee, the American Cancer Society, Carl Perkins Center, Memphis in May, The Rotary, Women in Business, and started a cancer research foundation based out of MD Anderson in honor of her late father.
After 15 years of traveling with work in the hospitality insurance industry, she started a new chapter, her own company, Grace by Kathleen Weatherford, where she could be more present with her family and chase her passion of jewelry making. With having more time, she was able to endlessly research and find creative ways to help Payton with his ADHD, which led to the book series. Getting to spend more time with Payton, writing has been one of her favorite career adventures yet! She loves her husband, Heiskell, two bonus kids- Kate and Heiskell, and of course, her adventurous little boy, Payton. She enjoys cooking, yoga, traveling, anything outdoors, and you’ll always find her creating! You may also find a sneak peek of her jewelry in the series!