The Weekly 411/ (2/17/23)

Feb. 17, 2023 vol. 7

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 Chrish Vindhy.

Picture Book Giveaway

We are pleased to host a giveaway of the picture book, The Way We Say Hello, by Andrea Denish, illustrated by BlueBean (Starry Forrest Books, 2023). Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below!

About the Book: A young child searches for the best way to greet the newest member of their family as they ask, "A special day. A special place. How will you greet a special face?" With rhyming text, heartwarming art, and nonfiction backmatter, The Way We Say Hello takes you as far as Tibet and as near as your front yard as you learn greeting after greeting.

Along the way, you'll also discover how to welcome the world into your heart in different languages, gestures, and places. You can say "namaste," "howdy," or "annyeong." You can use a traditional greeting like the Māori hongi or European cheek kisses. You can use sign language to greet those who are hard of hearing, or send a card to someone far away.

About the Author: Andrea Denish says hello with a vigorous wave and a big smile! She delights in helping children learn new things by writing informative stories, teaching science, and recommending books to young readers at her local library. Andrea lives with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of pets in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.

About the Illustrator: BlueBean says hello with a little wink! The beauty and harmony of nature inspire her artwork. The artist of the popular Gamer Baby series, she loves working on whimsical stories with cute, quirky characters. She creates illustrations, products, and more from her studio in Malaysia.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Picture Book Giveaway 2

We are pleased to host a giveaway of the picture book, The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of, by Kirsten W. Larson, illustrated by Katherine Roy (Chronicle Books, 2023). Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below.

About the Book: Astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne was the first person to discover what burns at the heart of stars. But she didn't start out as the groundbreaking scientist she would eventually become. She started out as a girl full of curiosity, hoping one day to unlock the mysteries of the universe.

With lyrical, evocative text by Kirsten W. Larson and extraordinary illustrations by award-winning illustrator Katherine Roy, this moving biography powerfully parallels the kindling of Cecilia Payne's own curiosity and her scientific career with the process of a star's birth, from mere possibility in an expanse of space to an eventual, breathtaking explosion of light.

About the Author: Kirsten used to work with rocket scientists at NASA. Now she writes books for curious kids. Kirsten is the author of the picture books: Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents An Airplane, illustrated by Tracy Subisak (Calkins Creek, 2020), A True Wonder: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything, illustrated by Katy Wu (Clarion, 2021), The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of, illustrated by Katherine Roy (Chronicle, February 2023), and This is How You Know, illustrated by Cornelia Li (Little, Brown 2024), as well as the middle grade, graphic nonfiction, The Light of Resistance, illustrated by Barbara McClintock, (Roaring Brook, 2023). She lives near Los Angeles with her family. Learn more at kirsten-w-larson.com.

About the Illustrator: Katherine Roy is the award-winning and best-selling author and illustrator of many science-based books for kids, including her Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands, How to Be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild, and Making More: How Life Begins. She is also the illustrator of numerous other books, including Barb Rosenstock’s Otis and Will Discover the Deep, Richard Ho’s Red Rover, and Kirsten W. Larson’s The Fire of Stars. She lives with her husband and sons in western Oregon, where she’s busy writing and drawing her next books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For Writers

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What Does Your Hero Want?

What is a Character Arc?

4 Questions to Prevent Plot Holes

Writing Challenges

Mar. 1-10 Writer's Digest Character-Building Challenge

What: 10 days of prompts to help build a character

Submissions: Agents & Editors

The Honest Truth of About How Much Children's Authors Make (2020 Article)

How to Research a Literary Agent