The Weekly 411 (10/28/22)

© Eric Castleman

 Oct. 28, 2022, vol. 42

The Weekly 411 gathers all the links added to Kidlit411 each week. To receive this post by email, sign up for our email updates. Are you on Facebook? Join our Kidlit411 group for conversations and camaraderie. This week's illustration is by Eric Castleman.

Author and Author-Illustrator Spotlights

We are pleased to feature author Melissa Coffey and her debut picture book, Fridge-Opolis, illustrated by Josh Cleland (Little Bee Books, 2022) Enter to win a copy!

We are pleased to feature author Meira Drazin and her debut middle grade novel, Honey and Me (Scholastic 2022), out now.  Enter to win a copy!

 Cover: Shamar Knight-Justice

We are excited to feature author-illustrator Isabella Kung and her picture book, No Snowball!  (Orchard Books), out on Nov. 1. Enter to win a copy!

Picture Book Giveaway

We are pleased to host a giveaway of the picture book, Alphabedtime by Susanna Leonard Hill, illustrated by Betsy Snyder (Nancy Paulsen Books), released Oct 25. Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below!

About the Book: A cast of adorable alphabet characters make this clever bedtime story a standout!

Suppertime’s over. Everyone’s fed.

Alpha Mom says, TIME FOR BED!

 

It’s a busy night for the Alphabet Family—after all, there are 26 kiddos to get ready for bed. A, B, and C declare they are not ready, and Impish I and Jazzy J don’t want to settle down, but by toothbrushing-time the crew seems to be headed in the right direction. Bath time requires six bathtubs and is super-splashy—and getting into jammies is no joke—but finally, after a story has been read and they are all tucked in tight, peace should reign. Except what’s this? When Mom turns off the light, it’s an Alpha pillow fight! Toddlers are sure to get a huge kick out of this lively alpha family—and hopefully, following each little letter’s antics will tucker them out!

About the Author: Susanna Leonard Hill grew up in New York City with her mom and dad, one sister and two brothers, and an assortment of cats. She went to the Brearley School for K – 12, then received her B.A. in English and Psychology from Middlebury College. She then went on to get her M.A. and M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology and Special Education of Children With Learning Disabilities from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. She worked for many years teaching dyslexic students, but stopped after her third child was born. Now she spends her time being a mom, writing, teaching writing, and visiting schools whenever she gets the opportunity.

About the Illustrator: Author and illustrator Betsy Snyder made her publishing debut in 2007, after several years working as an in-house artist and trend group leader at American Greetings. Since then, she has created over twenty picture and novelty books, teaming with a diverse mix of publishers and earning recognition from groups such as the Society of Illustrators, The New York Times, Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine, Indie Next List, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center and Please Touch Museum. In addition to children’s books, Betsy’s smile-inspiring art collections have also been licensed for products including greeting cards, stickers, gift wrap, party goods, games, plush, decor, fabric, and wallpaper. Betsy lives in Ohio, where she enjoys cozying up to doodle with her art-loving family and venturing out to schools and libraries to encourage kids (and even grown-ups) to share their stories and chase their dreams. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Freelance Editors & Critiques

Amelia Denyven Ross

For Writers 

8 Tips for Creating Believable Fictional Towns

7 Tips for Creating Awesome Characters

Pacing in Writing: 10 Powerful Ways to Keep Readers Hooked

Marketing & Creating a Platform

Why Your Book Isn't Getting Reviews

6 Steps on How to Pull Off a Successful Book Event

Contests & Awards

Oct. 29 - 31 12th Annual Halloweensie Contest with Susanna Hill

• What: write a 100 word or less children's story using the words, slither, treat, and scare
• Prize: critiques with published authors, Lyrical Language Lab course, more

Conferences, Workshops & Retreats

Feb. 11-12 NYC SCBWI conference Join the annual in person or virtual (Feb. 25) conference for children's writers and illustrators. Check back at the website on Nov. 4 for more information; registration begins on Nov. 10.

June 9-15 Join renown bestselling author Neal Shusterman in a small workshop with agents, producers, and editors in Cabo San Lucas, in Mexico. For more information, contact Lisa (at) bigsurchildrenswriters (dot) com.