The Weekly 411 (8/14/26)
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| © Elizabeth Hubal |
August 14, 2026 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. We can also be found on Bluesky. This week's illustration is by Elizabeth Hubal.
About the Book: Invited to your first Monster Bash and shaky on what to expect? Have no fear! From A to Z (Aliens to Zombies), monsters have had millennia to master good manners. Ogres don’t spread germs, vampires never bite, and werewolves follow rules! As readers journey through a monstrous party, they’ll witness 26 creatures demonstrating etiquette and attitudes for everyone to practice—monsters and kids alike.
About the Author: Heidi Yates is an author, illustrator and nature photographer from the home of the sasquatch (Pacific Northwest). Heidi loves Halloween, mythical creatures, and creating spine-tingling stories. Monster Manners A to Z is her “dé-boo” picture book.
About the Illustrator: Yana Kozak is a Ukrainian children’s book illustrator living in France. Her career in media ended when she pursued the path she always dreamed of: illustrating full-time. Inspired by her year-old daughter, Yana’s funny, emotional characters love to explore the world and bring smiles to the faces of little readers.
About the Book: It’s been one year since Grandma died. One year without beach walks, shopping trips, and baking challah together. On this anniversary, the first yahrzeit, a young girl attends Grandma’s unveiling ceremony, taking time to let go of some of her sadness and celebrate the many moments of joy they shared. This heartfelt picture book is about honoring those we have lost by remembering the happiness, comfort, and wisdom they brought into our lives. It is about the imprints that the people we love leave upon our hearts long after they are gone.
About the Author: Rebecca Gardyn Levington is an award-winning children’s book author, poet, and journalist with a particular penchant for penning both playful and poignant picture books and poems – primarily in rhyme. She is the author of 18 books for children, including Finding Forgiveness (a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable and PJ Library selection), Whatever Comes Tomorrow (a SCBWI Crystal Kite Honor winner and Northern Lights Book Award winner, which has been translated into 11 languages), Afikoman, Where'd You Go? A Passover Hide-And-Seek Adventure (a PJ Library selection which was named one of the best holiday books of the year by both School Library Journal and the Association of Jewish Libraries), Some Days I'm the Wind (a 2026 Children’s Book Council Librarian Favorite and a 2026 Children’s Literature Assemble Notable), and Brainstorm! (a Pennsylvania Readers’ Choice Award winner). Rebecca’s poems and articles have appeared in numerous anthologies, newspapers, and magazines. She lives with her family in Summit, NJ, where she enjoys bouncing on a mini-trampoline, playing mah jongg, and eating chocolate-peanut butter ice cream (although not usually at the same time!). Find out more and sign up for Rebecca’s monthly newsletter at www.RebeccaGardynLevington.com.
About the Illustrator: Alyssa Russell (she/her) is an illustrator living in Austin, TX, and a graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design. She is passionate about the use of fantasy as a medium for emotional expression through heartfelt characters and meaningful narratives. Alyssa is aesthetically drawn to light, gesture, and expressive use of texture stemming from her love of vintage illustrators such as Hilary Knight, Garth Williams, and Maurice Sendak. When she is not illustrating she can be found reading fiction, learning Spanish, or doodling for fun in her sketchbook.
- What: write a nonfictional or informational fiction kid lit story up to 200 words
- Prizes: critiques, books, and other giveways
- What: write a funny up to 200-word story based on prompt given in the challenge (choose one character and one object from list)
- Prizes: writing workshops, AMAs, critiques from agents and authors and more
Oct. 3- 7 KidlitGN Pitch Event
- What: upload your graphic novel pitch for agents/editors to peruse in a password protected platform. Pitch event is Oct 7 to Oct 31 but submission window for pitches is Oct 3-7. See FAQs for more details
- Award: editors or agents can comment on your pitch asking you to submit the project to them for consideration
Whenever an author completes a draft of their manuscript, the next step is to revise that draft. But that doesn’t mean just changing some words or adjusting punctuation. Revision requires time and thoughtful, specific assessment, experimentation, decisions, and choices. So, how does one start?Understanding how to revise and the ways to do it aren’t always instinctive or clear. Revision techniques an author uses to revise one manuscript aren’t necessarily the same techniques an author needs to revise a different manuscript. In her presentation, Emma will share the top ten most effective revision tools and techniques she knows. These tools and techniques are practical and specific, covering story elements like character development and worldbuilding to scene crafting, plotting, and ways to self-edit. There will be handouts and time for questions and comments.
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