Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien’s 2025 children’s picture book, “Fireworks,” tells the story of two siblings on an adventure through the city that culminates in a dazzling fireworks display.
The book has garnered a number of awards, including the Charlotte Zolotow Award for Outstanding Writing in Picture Books, as well as the Caldecott Medal for Chien’s illustrations.
Burgess and Chien will appear alongside five other presenters from the world of children's books at The Lucky Rabbit Literature Festival this Friday and Saturday, hosted by The Rabbit hOle in North Kansas City.
The two had worked together previously on “The Bear and the Moon,” which was published in 2020. Burgess described their collaboration as author and illustrator as uncharacteristically close.
“What Katya and I have had is the ability to connect throughout the process and weigh in on things and see each other's words and see each other's pictures and kind of have these conversations that are pretty rare in the business,” Burgess told KCUR’s Up to Date.
When Burgess eventually began working on "Fireworks," he hoped it could be another opportunity for the pair to work together. “As I was revisiting the manuscript and imagining it becoming a book, you know, I immediately thought of Cátia,” Burgess said.
For Chien, the story brought back fond memories of her childhood.
“When I read the manuscript from Matthew, I immediately missed my sister, and the reason why is because my sister and I have so many fond memories of our childhood in Brazil,” Chien said.
Chien incorporated a mixed media approach to her compositions for "Fireworks," complimenting Burgess’ writing to create something truly unique.
- Matthew J. Burgess, poet, educator and author
- Cátia Chien, illustrator and painter
The Lucky Rabbit Literature Festival: Kids Day, 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. & 12 p.m.-2:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 2 at The Rabbit hOle, 919 E 14th Ave, North Kansas City, MO 64116.
Adult Conference Day, 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3 at The National WWI Museum and Memorial, 2 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, Missouri 64108. Tickets are $80 for the day or $45 for one session.
Register and get tickets at luckyrabbitfest.org.
