The Weekly 411 (4/25/25)
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| © Ginny Edwards Neil |
April 25, 2025 vol. 17
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. We can also be found on Bluesky. This week's illustration is by Ginny Edwards Neil.
About the Author: Marsha Diane Arnold has always loved trains. She grew up in the country, about a mile from the railroad tracks, where she could hear that lonely train whistle echo through the night. So it's not a surprise that her newest book - about the largest steam engine in the world, Big Boy 4014 And The Steam Team - steams into bookstores in May 2025. Marsha is a multi-award-winning author of twenty-four books, including Lost. Found., Lights Out., and Badger's Perfect Garden. With a heart for nature, history, and stories of quiet power, Marsha brings both imagination and soul to every book she writes.
About the Illustrator: Adam Gustavson is an artist, educator, author, and musician (in roughly that order), whose paintings have appeared in over thirty books for children, as well as magazines, galleries, and public murals. He is the author/illustrator of The Froggies Do NOT Want To Sleep (2021) and The Aliens Do NOT Want To Go Home (2025). Adam holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York, and is a full-time teaching professor at Rowan University. He lives in the wilds of northern New Jersey with his charming family.
We are pleased to host a giveaway of Thunderland, written & illustrated by Maggie Edkins Willis (Viking/Penguin Random House), out now. Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below.
About the Book: Storms can be scary. All those CRACKS and CRASHES and RUMBLES! So, one young girl does what anyone would do—hides under the kitchen sink, of course. Until her dad shows her there’s somewhere even better to go. Thunderland! Where the cocoa is hot, stuffed animal friends are waiting, and storms have names. By playing a game instead of running away, the booms of thunder and flashes of lightning become a whole lot less intimidating. So, the next time the rain rolls in and the sky starts to roar, she knows she can face her fears in Thunderland!
About the Author-Illustrator: Maggie Edkins Willis grew up in Maine and studied design and art history at the University of Pennsylvania. For seven years, she worked in-house for two major children’s publishers where she designed, art directed, and illustrated dozens of covers. Maggie now lives and works in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband, two children, and a very small dog named Moose. Her debut graphic novel, Smaller Sister (Roaring Brook / Macmillan) received starred reviews from SLJ and Kirkus and is an ALSC Notable Children’s Book of 2023. Her debut picture book, Little Ghost Makes A Friend (Paula Wiseman Books / Simon & Schuster) is an Indie Bestseller.
Who is Telling the Story--And When? Creative (and Purposeful) Uses of "Purpose" and "Tense"
How to Write a Fall Arc: How to Show a Characters' Moral Decline
Adding Humor to Children's Stories
Disillusionment Arc in Storytelling: A Powerful Tool for Character Growth
April 29, 7 - 8:15 p.m. EDT Writing Vibrant Secondary Characters Are you writing a novel with a big cast of characters? Or one with a few notable secondary characters? Middle grade author Sylvia Liu will share how to bring those secondary characters to life, from giving them their own character arcs to tips on making them memorable and unique, and provide examples where they are done particularly well. Short writing exercises are also included. This event will be recorded, and a replay will be available for 30 days after the live event. (SCBWI MidAtlantic, $30/ $15 premium SCBWI members)
Conferences, Workshops & Retreats
October 15-19, 2025, R(ev)ise and Shine Writing Retreat in Vermont's beautiful Green Mountains during peak foliage season at Potash Hill! This residency is open to everyone. We welcome all writers to join us, from picture book to adult fiction. Whether you have published before or are just starting out, we will tailor your experience to meet you where you are in your writing journey. You will be assigned two mentors who will work closely with you to determine your unique strengths and needs as a writer, as well as what’s working and what isn’t (yet!) in your current draft. Together we will help you design a plan of action for your next revision or for getting out of a stuck place. Come prepared to leap over hurdles that have been getting in your way. In addition to our R(ev)ise and Shine Faculty: Lesa Cline-Ransome, Rob Costello, Jo Knowles, and Jennifer Jacobson, this year we will be joined by guest Editor Eileen Robinson, Agent, Stephen Barbara, James E. Ransome (as our special guest illustrator) and Alysa Wishingrad (as our special guest author). (Marlboro, VT)
Feb. 20-22, 2026 Big Sur Workshop with Andrea Brown Literary Agency Long recognized as one of the top agencies for children’s book writers and illustrators, Andrea Brown Literary Agency (ABLA) brings top tier professionals together with both beginner and seasoned writers. This popular workshop fills quickly. Two industry professionals will mentor you in very small group sessions where one-on-one feedback is provided. Writers will get the chance to mingle and discuss their works with editors, agents, and published authors throughout the all-inclusive weekend. (Big Sur, California)
Storyboarding for Writers: How Sketching Can Strengthen Your Picture Book or Graphic Novel
This is a Really Bad Idea, But. . . (idea to fix writer's block)
Thunderland sounds incredibly imaginative and will be a useful tool for caregivers as well as fun reading time. I can't wait to learn more about Big Boy--trains are a fun topic.
ReplyDeletenonfic PBs are cool. plus stem is cool. i guess storms are fun
ReplyDelete