The Weekly 411 (8/18/23)

August 18, 2023 vol. 33

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 Julia Vasileva.

Picture Book Giveaway

We are excited to host a giveaway of the picture book, Zadie and the Witch's Tea, by Gayle C. Krause, illustrated by Kate Talbot (Trowbridge Books). Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below!

About the Book: When Little Zadie’s sisters dash her hope of attending the biggest event of the Halloween season because she has no “witchy” magic, her determination and a surprising Hairy Fairy Godspider enchantment sends her as a special guest. The adult witches try to outdo each other by casting spells and chanting charms to become the assistant to the most powerful witch in the land. But a kind gesture from Zadie wins the night and the title, and her sisters learn that kindness proves stronger than any magic they possess.

About the Author: Gayle C. Krause is a children’s author. Her book, Rock Star Santa (Scholastic) has been presented around the world in plays and readings. A former educator, who prepared prospective teachers, she’s taught Children’s Literature at the secondary and post-secondary levels and served as Director for the Pre-K associated with her Education program. She was named 1st place MG winner in the Kid’s Choice Kidlit Writing Contest in 2022.

About the Illustrator: Kate Talbot is a children’s book author/illustrator who has a passion for quirky stories, especially when told in rhyme. She has a degree in filmmaking and spent several years as a Film Producer (the highlight of her career was spilling an entire tray of drinks in Russell Crowe’s lap before falling butt-first into a fountain). In 2011, she made the shift to children’s writing and illustration, when she moved to Germany with her Spanish husband. She lives in New Zealand. She loves being outdoors and cannot resist a good tea party.

Buy links: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Bookshop

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Picture Book Giveaway 2

We are pleased to host a giveaway of the picture book, The Palace Rat, by Lynne Marie, illustrated by Eva Santana (Yeehoo Press), out on Sept. 5. Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below!

About the Book: Henri is a palace rat living as the pampered pet of King Louis the XVI! He’s waited on paw and foot . . . but not everybody is happy about it. When a dastardly plan by the royal staff casts Henri out to the streets, he must find his own way safely home. Street mice take Henri in and kindly show him their ways of living. To survive, Henri will eat field strawberries, fashion new clothes out of rags to match the latest Parisian styles, and sleep on grass nests, dreaming of his return to the palace.

In no time, Henri will become a popular figure, spinning rich and colorful tales of palace life for growing audiences. Yet every great tale must have a happy ending . . . and when the time comes for Henri to determine how his own story will conclude, will he choose to stay with his new friends on the street or return to his regal life of comfort?

Perfect for fans of Kevin Henkes’ Mouse Adventures and Leo Lionni’s Frederick, or young readers taking their first steps towards independence!

About the Author: Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten, art by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic 2011), Hedgehog's 100th Day of School, art by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play, art by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares, art by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling and Scholastic 2019) and Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World, art by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books 2019), The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project and The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project Coloring Book, art by Wendy Fedan (Mac and Cheese Press, 2022), The Palace Rat, art by Eva Santana (Yeehoo Press, 2023) and more, forthcoming.

She’s the Owner/Director of RateYourStory.org, ThePictureBookMechanic.com, and the Creator/Host of March On With Mentor Texts (www.rateyourstory.org/march-on) and Mentor Text Talk by Rate Your Story). She’s also the Co-Host of #SeasonsOfKidLit (www.seasonsofkidlit.com), a Cybils Judge since 2016 (www.cybils.org) and a Feature Columnist at Children’s Book Insider (www.writeforkids.org). She lives in the heart of Florida with her family, a Schipperke named Anakin and a Chihuahua named Marlowe Charlotte (after a famous playwright and a famous author). Visit her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com. Lynne Marie is represented by Marisa Cleveland of www.theseymouragency.com.

About the Illustrator: When she was little, Eva wanted to be an illustrator, but then she forgot all about it. When she was older, she tried being a photographer, a historian and a jeweler! It was during her time working in a bank, she realised working in an office was not for her – especially as she also wanted to be a firefighter and a trapeze artist and ... Imagination obviously in abundance, it was then that her head started to fill with stories, though instead of coming out in pictures, they came out in words. She published her first book in 1995 and it wasn’t until she was knocking on a bit, that she remembered that she actually wanted to be an illustrator, and set about honing her drawing skills. Since then she has published almost 40 books, writing and illustrating her own books, as well as illustrating for others. In between she has had time to have a child, run the Catalan Super3 Club magazine and do away with a hundred or so balcony plants – hey, you can't be good at everything.

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For Writers

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