Children's book paying 'dividends'
EVERYDAY PEOPLE
Katie Burton has always wanted to write a children's book.
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Now, at 85, her dream has come true.
Burton recently published her first children's book, "The Mickel Nickel," a book about a young boy who finds out that his buffalo nickel is worth far more than 5 cents and contemplates what to do with the $100 he's now received from the coin shop for his coin.
Burton hopes the book, published in July by Range Printing, teaches children values, such as the importance of faith, love, sharing and also investing money in the future.
Katie Burton smile as she held a copy of her new children's book," The Mickel Nickel," published by Range Printing. A former kindergarten teacher, Burton had always wanted to write a children's book.
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In the book, Mickel's mom is a single mother, an experience that Burton knows well. All proceeds from the book will go to nonprofit organizations in the Brainerd area focused on helping single mothers, including the Brainerd Lakes Community Foundation and Crisis Line.
A 1942 Brainerd High School graduate, she earned her teaching degree from a teachers' college in Evanston, Ill. In 1946 she got her first job teaching kindergarten for $2,100 a year in Long Beach, Calif. She also taught kindergarten in Berkeley and Salinas, Calif.
While in California, she married, had two children and later divorced her first husband. The divorce was an experience she'd rather not dwell on.
"It was a very difficult time," Burton said.
Burton returned to Brainerd about 1956-57 and started working at the Brainerd Dispatch, owned by her parents, Henry and Louise McCollough. She worked as a bookkeeper and then sold ads in the Classifieds department.
Katie Burton, who recently published her first children's book, "The Mickel Nickel," is now working on a sequel titled, "The Mickel Road." As with her first book, she is illustrating and writing the second book herself.
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She met Bud Burton, owner of the former Burton's Furniture and Appliance store in downtown Brainerd, who was one of her advertising customers. They were married in 1960; he had two children and she had two children. He also had a dog; she had a parakeet.
"The dog ate the parakeet," Burton said with a laugh. "But the kids got along fine."
Her husband died in 2000. They had been married for 39-1/2 years.
Katie Burton
Age: 85
Residence: Brainerd and Sarasota, Fla.
Family: She and her late husband, Bud, have four children, Tom Burton, Brainerd, Mike Burton, Lake Shore, Kathy Herold, Merrifield, and David Cheney, Seattle; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Latest venture: She recently published her first children's book, The Mickel Nickel.
Favorite book to read as a child: My Book House: In The Nursery, the first in a series of books containing a collection of stories. She still has her copy.
Favorite classic children's books: Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown; The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss; and Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gag.
Interests: She enjoys painting, a talent she used when she illustrated her children's book. She also attends two Bible study groups in Brainerd and one in Sarasota. Burton enjoys ballroom dancing but hasn't done much of that lately.
Favorite ballroom dancing experience: When she and her grandson, Jere Horn, took a ballroom dancing class together about five years ago. We had the most fun, I've never forgotten it, Burton said with a laugh. We were stepping on each other's feet.
Last year Burton made up her mind to start writing that children's book she'd always wanted to write. She had taken up painting a couple of years ago and decided to also illustrate her book. As she wrote on the back of her book, many of the words and rhymes came to her as she was waking up in the morning. She specifically wanted her story to revolve around a positive, loving relationship between a single mother and her son. The project consumed her life, but it was an exhilarating experience. She's learned much from the process and has met many new people as a result of her book.
"It's something that I got excited about and I never thought that would happen when I started out," said Burton. "It was consuming, but in a good way. I couldn't wait to do the next page or picture."
One of Burton's greatest influences has been her grandfather, W.D. Junkin, also a former publisher of the Brainerd Dispatch. She said her grandfather liked to make up wonderful stories, giving unique names to his characters.
"The characters seemed real and alive," said Burton. "My grandfather could have been a Dr. Seuss in his day, without the fantastic illustrations that Seuss was able to create."
But Burton's not finished writing or illustrating just yet. She's already working on her sequel, "The Mickel Road," which follows Mickel on an adventurous walk home from Bible school.
Two years ago, Burton underwent open heart surgery to implant an artificial heart valve. She said her faith is very important to her and she's grateful for her good health.
"I always thought maybe there was a reason I recuperated so well," said Burton. "Maybe it was this (her book). There might be other things, who knows."
Burton will turn 86 on Halloween. Her advice to others who may feel they're too old to accomplish a dream?
"Go for it," she said. "It's just doing it, and that's where the pleasure is."
Burton's book is available locally at Bethany Bookstore and BookWorld in Baxter and Rainy Days Bookstore in Nisswa. She has a few upcoming book signings scheduled, including 11 a.m. to noon Aug. 29 at Rainy Days Bookstore, 2-3 p.m. Aug. 29 at Bethany Bookstore and noon to 2 p.m. Sept. 12 at BookWorld.
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.