© Farnaz Nadim  Dec. 1, 2024 We are pleased to feature illustrator Farnaz Nadim and her website banner design for Kidlit411. Welcome! Tell us about yourself and how you came to illustrate for children   I discovered my passion for art during high school when I enrolled in a painting class during summer break. This experience ultimately guided me towards art school, where I majored in Persian Art and Handicrafts, later obtaining a master's degree in Graphic Design, and eventually becoming a college instructor.   © Farnaz Nadim Later, while reading to my kids ..read more

© Michele Katz  Nov. 29, 2024 vol. 48. 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 Michele Katz. Kid Lit News The 2024 New York Times/ New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books Picture Book Giveaway  We are pleased to host a giveaway of the picture book, The Book Cook by Dan Swanson, i ..read more

© Melissa Mwai General Articles Editing and Revising Picture Books Picture Book Revision Takes 25 Years Harold Underdown's Revision Recommendations  Writing Insights Part Three: The Revision Process Cutting Open the Sausage: A Hard Look at Rewriting From the Editor: Getting Ahead with Revisions Harold Underdown & Eileen Robinson: Top 10 Reasons You Need to Revise Your Manuscript What to Do After Finishing Your First Draft Kate Messner's Revisions Charts How to Revise a First Draft (5 Novel Revision Tips) 2 Amazing Ways To Revise Your Novel (And When To Use Th ..read more

© Isabella Kung RHYMING PB'S AT A GLANCE To submit or not to submit? Agents and editors in general are not fans of rhyming picture books. Why? Well, rhyming is very difficult to do well. Editors and agents see too much "bad rhyme" so it's easier to pass on rhyme altogether than deal with the slush pile that they receive. Should that deter you? If you have something that is REALLY well written in rhyme, then go for it! If you've stayed away from writing rhyming picture books, we recommend reading all of the great rhyming picture books that you can, and taking  ..read more

© Stan Yan  Nov. 22, 2024 vol. 47 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 Stan Yan. Picture Book Giveaway We are pleased to host a giveaway of the picture book,  I Am a Thundercloud by Leah Moser, illustrated by Marie Hermansson (Running Press Kids 2024). Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter ..read more

© Agathe Denis  Nov. 15, 2024, vol. 46 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 Agathe Denis. Middle Grade Giveaway We are pleased to host a giveaway of the middle grade novel, All Mixed Up, by Raj Tawney (Paw Prints Publishing/Baker & Taylor) out now. Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below.     cover design by Daniel ..read more

© Daniel J. Mahoney  Nov. 8, 2024, vol. 45 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 Daniel J. Mahoney. 2 YA Book Giveaway We are pleased to host a giveaway of two YA novels, The Davenports: More Than This (Dial Books, out Nov. 12), and the instant New York Times bestseller, The Davenports, by Krystal Marquis featuring escapist ro ..read more

  © Colleen Kong-Savage Nov. 1, 2024 We are pleased to feature illustrator Colleen Kong-Savage and her banner design for Kidlit411 as well as her picture book, Piano Wants to Play (Page Street Kids). Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below. Tell us about yourself and how you came to illustrate for children. I did not fully appreciate the beauty and delight offered by a picture book until I became an adult. Even before I had a child, I’d spend hours in Books Of Wonder, a children’s bookstore in NYC, relishing pages of gorgeous illustrations, cackling over silly storie ..read more

© Harvey Walls  Nov. 1, 2024 vol. 44 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 Harvey Walls. Picture Book Giveaway We are pleased to host a giveaway of the graphic novel style early reader, Unicorn and Yeti, Razzle Dazzle, by Heather Ayris Burnell, illustrated by Hazel Quintanilla (Scholastic Acorn) out now. Enter to win a copy via the Raffl ..read more

© Sophie Furman  Oct. 25, 2024 vol. 43 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 Sophie Furman. Picture Book Giveaway We are pleased to host a giveaway of the picture book, A Little Like Magic, written and illustrated by Sarah Kurpiel (Rocky Pond Books/ Penguin Random House), out now. Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below!  About ..read more