Kathi Burke
Irish non-fiction illustrator

Kathi Burke
Born
Dunmore East, County Waterford[1]
Other namesFatti Burke
Occupations
  • Illustrator
  • author
Known forIrelandopedia
Notable workIrelandopedia, Historopedia, Foclóiropedia, Animalopedia, Little Library series
Websitekathiburke.com

Kathi Burke, better known by her penname Fatti Burke,[2] is an Irish Waterford-based non-fiction artist, illustrator and author. She is best known for Irelandopedia, Historopedia and Foclóiropedia; a trilogy of mini-encyclopedias she created with her father John Burke[3][4] and the Little Library series of books.[5]

Biography

Burke was born in Dunmore East, County Waterford and studied visual communications at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin for 4 years from 2008–2012. After finishing NCAD, she worked in graphic design for a year before she focused on Illustrating. In 2014, she began volunteering for a confidential domestic abuse helpline once a week.[6] She received a master's degree in Children's Literature at Trinity College Dublin in 2023.[7][8]

In 2015, Burke was included on the Irish Independent's "Rising Female Stars of 2015" list, where she said that "International Women's Day was a reminder that there is still so much for women to work towards in terms of the roles we demand in society."[6]

Later that year, she released her first and most popular book; the Irelandopedia, a mini-encyclopedia with a page for every Irish County and some additional pages for general Irish culture.[9] The Irelandopedia won the RTÉ Audience Choice Award at the Irish Book Awards in 2015 and the Merit Award at the KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards in 2016.[10][11]

Works illustrated

  • Burke, John (2016). Irelandopedia: A Compendium of Maps, Facts and Knowledge. Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-0-7171-6938-2.
  • — (2016). Historopedia: The Story of Ireland From Then Until Now. Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-0-7171-7113-2.
  • — (2017). Foclóiropedia: A Journey Through the Irish Language from Arán to Zú. Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-0-7171-7554-3.
  • Turner, Tracey (2017). Facts!: One for Every Day of the Year. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4088-8462-1.
  • Membrino, Anne (2018). I Look Up To... Ruth Bader Ginsburg. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-5255-7952-6.
  • — (2018). I Look Up To... Michelle Obama. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-5255-7954-0.
  • Burke, John (2018). Granuaile: The Pirate Queen. Little Library no. 1. Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-0-7171-8350-0.
  • Membrino, Anne (2019). I Look Up To... Serena Williams. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-5256-4442-2.
  • — (2019). I Look Up To... Malala Yousafzai. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-5256-4440-8.
  • Kelly, Michael; Ní Chíobháin, Muireann (2019). GIY's Know-it-Allmanac. Waterford: GIY Ireland. ISBN 978-0-9930-4262-1.
  • Burke, John (2019). Brian Boru: The Warrior King. Little Library no. 2. Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-0-7171-8456-9.
  • — (2019). Constance Markievicz: The Rebel Countess. Little Library no. 3. Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-0-7171-8455-2.
  • Cheshire, Simon (2019). Epic Tales of Triumph and Adventure. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5266-0112-4.
  • Membrino, Anne (2019). I Look Up To...Misty Copeland. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-9848-5214-4.
  • — (2019). I Look Up To...Oprah Winfrey. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-9848-5212-0.
  • Burke, John (2020). Tom Crean: The Brave Explorer. Little Library no. 4. Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-0-7171-8656-3.
  • — (2020). Mary Robinson: A Voice for Fairness. Little Library no. 5. Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-0-7171-8993-9.
  • Burke, Fatti (2020). What the Dinosaurs Saw: Life on Earth Before Humans. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5476-0689-4.
  • British Museum (2021). Find Tom in Time: Ancient Egypt. London: Nosy Crow. ISBN 978-1-7880-0101-4.
  • — (2021). Find Tom in Time: Ming Dynasty China. London: Nosy Crow. ISBN 978-1-7880-0717-7.
  • — (2021). Find Tom in Time: Ancient Rome. London: Nosy Crow. ISBN 978-1-7880-0716-0.
  • — (2021). Find Tom in Time: Ancient Greece. London: Nosy Crow. ISBN 978-1-7880-0658-3.
  • — (2022). Find Tom in Time: Michelangelo's Italy. London: Nosy Crow. ISBN 978-1-8399-4215-0.
  • Burke, John (2022). Michael Collins: The People's Peacemaker. Little Library no. 6. Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-0-7171-9410-0.
  • British Museum (2023). Find Tom in Time: Shakespeare's London. London: Nosy Crow. ISBN 978-1-8399-4515-1.
  • Burke, John (2025). Animalopedia: A Menagerie of Every Irish Animal You Can Think Of!. Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-1-8045-8246-6.
  • — (2025). Irelandopedia: A Compendium of Maps, Facts and Knowledge (Tenth anniversary ed.). Dublin: Gill Books. ISBN 978-1-8045-8414-9.

Awards

Award Year Title Book
Irish Book Awards 2015 RTÉ Audience Choice Award Irelandopedia[10]
KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards 2016 Judges' Special Award Irelandopedia[11]
KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards 2016 Éilís Dillon Award for a First Children's Book Irelandopedia[12]
Irish Book Awards 2016 Children's Book of the Year (Junior) (Nomination) Historopedia[13]
Irish Book Awards 2016 Book of the Year Award (Nomination) Historopedia[14]
Irish Book Awards 2017 Children's Book of the Year (Junior) (Nomination) Foclóiropedia[15]
Irish Book Awards 2025 Specsavers Children's Book of the Year (Senior) Animalopedia [16]

References

  1. ^ "About".
  2. ^ McCarthy, Esther N. (15 October 2016). "Fatti Burke's latest illustrated children's book is picture perfect". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  3. ^ "Stunning Central Library window art showcases steps to a Climate Neutral Waterford". Waterford City & County Council. 26 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Meet illustrator Fatti Burke". RTÉ. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  5. ^ Ryan, Eimear (12 March 2022). "Father and daughter duo John and Fatti Burke on how they create their 'Little Library' of books". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b Notaro, Vicki (7 March 2015). "Watch out for our rising female stars". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  7. ^ Burke, Kathi (14 September 2023). "My Career: Artist, illustrator and author Kathi Burke". IMAGE. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Illustrator: Fatti Burke". ChildrensBooksIreland. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  9. ^ "Here's a quick trip around Ireland with one piece of trivia from each county". The Journal. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Previous Winners". Irish Book Awards. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  11. ^ a b Erizanu, Paula (23 May 2016). "Sarah Crossan wins the Irish children's book of the year". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Award archive". ChildrensBooksIreland. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  13. ^ "Specsavers Children's Book of the Year (Senior) Nominee (Animalopedia)". Irish Book Awards. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  14. ^ "Historopedia". Tara book company. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  15. ^ "In The Picture: Foclóiropedia abu!". RTÉ. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  16. ^ "Animalopedia - Winner 2025". irishbookawards.ie. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  • Official website
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kathi_Burke&oldid=1329736341"