The Weekly 411 (7/31/26)
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| © Kent Culotta |
July 31, 2026 vol. 31
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 Kent Culotta.
About the Book: Abigale is a lonely puffin who has trouble making herself heard. She desperately wants to be friends with the other puffins, but she’s so shy that they hardly know she’s there. After several disappointing attempts, Abigale thinks about giving up. Then disaster strikes, and an innocent puffin is at risk of being caught by a gull—a gull that eats puffins for lunch! Can Abigale finally gather enough courage to stand up and be heard? The Puffin Who Whispered is a story about daring to reach out without changing who you are inside, even if you’re a very soft-spoken puffin.
About the Author: Marcia is a New England author who loves writing books for children of all ages. Her first middle grade novel, chosen as a Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books, inspired her to write more novels and picture books and now she can’t stop! Marcia recently retired from a public library where she enjoyed acquiring all their new children’s books. She enjoys papercrafts, playing her guitar, travel, and most of all, family time!
About the Illustrator: Roch Hercka was born in Toruń, Poland. From an early age, he had a strong passion for drawing, painting, illustration, and comic books. He studied traditional painting at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Today, Roch works across many creative fields, but focuses primarily on fantasy and children’s book illustration.
We are pleased to host a giveaway of the picture book, Gander: The Town That Welcomed the World by Nikki Bergstresser, illustrated by Reilly Fitzgerald (Plumleaf Press), out now. Enter to win a copy via the widget below.
About the Book: On September 11, 2001, thousands of travellers were stranded far from home in a town called Gander, Newfoundland. They were strangers in a place most had never heard of before. Scared and confused, the travellers were not sure what to expect. Gander: The Town That Welcomed the World is a true story about a world that was hurting and a community that came together with kindness, compassion, and East Coast heart. With sparse text and painterly illustrations, Nikki Bergstresser and Reilly Fitzgerald thoughtfully capture and commemorate this 9/11 story for a new generation.
About the Author: Nikki Bergstresser, children’s author, speaker, and educator, grew up in a Canadian small prairie town. Many of Nikki’s books, such as Seasons for Stones and A Promise to Protect, share her love for community. Deeply moved by the true story of Gander, Newfoundland, she sees it as a reminder that in the hard moments, compassion and kindness can connect us. Nikki lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, with her husband, two daughters, and a few mischievous furry critters. She loves plotting her next story while hiking in nature and making new friends wherever she travels.
About the Illustrator: Reilly Fitzgerald grew up in Wabush, a small town in Newfoundland and Labrador, where his art skills were apparent early in life. Reilly, who is ambidextrous, completed a Fine Art program while in high school, and studied art and art history at Memorial University, earning a B.A. and a B.Ed. He has had a variety of jobs, including high school English teacher, art teacher, plasterer, and painter. Since 2011, Reilly has used his art as a therapeutic release from life-changing and debilitating chronic pain. Although he is mostly known as a fine artist, this is Reilly’s second published children’s book.
⭐️ PB Rising Stars Isn't Over. Now, it's a year-round home for picture book creators! When the mentorship ended, PBRS Co-Founder Ebony Lynn Mudd didn't really want to say goodbye. She had just spent five years watching picture book creators find their voices, solve craft problems they'd been wrestling with for years, sign with agents, land book deals, and build friendships that changed the way they experienced publishing. She built a community that spoke honestly about contracts, money, and business strategy. Three months was enough to change lives. But it wasn't enough to build a career.
Ebony wanted to build the kind of access and community that so many creators are hoping to find. A community where people know what you're working on. One where your manuscript doesn't disappear after one critique. One where you can hear Lian Cho talk through every decision she made in Pig Town Party, then come back the next week and ask questions, get feedback, revise, and keep growing. If that sounds like the kind of publishing community you've been looking for, the PB Rising Stars Collective would love to have you.
Enrollment closes tonight, Friday, July 31st at 11:59 PM ET. JOIN THE PB RISING STARS FAMILY HERE (a Kidlit411 affiliate link)
If you're looking for a place to grow, PB Rising Stars would love to welcome you!
Beth Anderson, author of The Patriots and the Pox; Vicky Fang, author of Lots and Lots of Ocelots; Lydia Lukidis, author of Deep, Deep Down; Sita Singh, author of Indigo Hands, and Kaitlyn Wells, moderator and author of Under the Clam Moon. Live attendees will be entered into a raffle for several prizes, including A.M.A. calls, manuscript reviews, and signed books. This event will be recorded.
Aug. 6 Launching In the Green Room™ with… Guest: Frances Gilbert
A new series of behind-the-scenes conversations with top publishing professionals. Episode #1 releasing August 6, 2026 (registration required to get access) Join us for this candid conversation with Frances Gilbert, Senior Editor at Doubleday Books for Young Readers (Random House Children's Books). We talked about what she's currently looking for, what catches her attention in submissions, common reasons manuscripts get passed on, and what today's picture book writers need to understand about the market. What makes this conversation especially valuable is that it wasn't built around generic advice. It was shaped by questions submitted by picture book writers, addressing the very concerns authors are facing right now as they revise, submit, and pursue publication.
Aug. 22 Crack the Code: Reverse Engineering the Graphic Novel. Join the SCBWI California: San Francisco/South Graphic Novel Webinar with Senior Literary Agent Natascha Morris from The Tobias Agency. The webinar that shows how Natascha has guided several debut graphic novelists through the process of preparing their graphic novel proposals. From inspiration and MSWL, she will walk you through the act of outlining and break down how to create a new manuscript. Whether you are working on a new idea or have no idea where to start, this proven method will help you crack the code on how to give editors and agents what they might be looking for. The virtual session will be recorded and available to registered attendees. Registration ends 8/19.
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