iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Abbie James @abbiewjames.bsky.social · 20h

bee on posies knee-deep in nectar deadlines too busy to pose or photo unfocused uncropped pollinators flock focused on our crops 💚 #haikusaturday #flyday #nativeplants #bloomscrolling💚

photo taken looking up at flowers with blue sky above; painted lady butterfly towards the center drinking from a purple New England aster; goldenrod behind with a wasp on it; to the left, a blurry honeybee flies into the frame beside the asters; I was trying to take a picture of the butterfly, and there were so many fabulous pollinators around that someone was always buzzing around out of focus =)

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Susan (Morhar) Andrews @andrewssusanm.bsky.social · 16h

#HaikuSaturday #haiku leaves rustle and an owl hoots starry starry night Please add a version if you feel like it. If you want your version posted with the other versions please include the hashtag #VersionsHaikuSaturday.

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Amy Borgman @amyborgman.bsky.social · 7h

corralling us toward the harvest singing moon #haiku #HaikuSaturday

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Michael Muller (he/him) @michaelmuller.bsky.social · 7h

three haiku from the sentient pond for #HaikuSaturday pond wanting to see: bird, beaver, fish, reed, bush, tree, stream, shore, sky: you, me pond wanting to hear: hawks' calls, gulls' cries, frogs' croaks, the occasional: bear pond wanting to be: watery ambitions for growth: someday, the sea

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Cynthia Mackey, Butterfly Sea, out now! @booksbycindy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Huge congrats to @jengelmattern.bsky.social on her compelling debut novel!!!! 🥳

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Cynthia Mackey, Butterfly Sea, out now! @booksbycindy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Incredible news about BUTTERFLY SEA!!!! 🦋 Not one but two Reader’s Choice Awards! Can I safely describe myself as an award-winning author now? @cwillbc.bsky.social @picturebookseh.bsky.social @12x12challenge.bsky.social #booksky #librarians #teachers #awards #booksward

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Troy Wilson @troystory.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Woo hoo! Well deserved. 🙌

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Jennifer Thomas @jthomasabc.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Word that’s making me smile today: remembrancer. It has a number of meanings lost to time. One is that a remembrancer is a reminder or memento. A seashell, a ticket stub, a worn satin ribbon, a pet’s collar.

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Yorkshire Wolds Weather @yorkswoldsweather.bsky.social · 9h

Cloudless Skies. 13°C. Hawthorn berries in abundance.

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Karyn Curtis @karyncurtiswrites.bsky.social · 6h

Good morning and Happy Saturday!

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Karyn Curtis @karyncurtiswrites.bsky.social · 21h

Spent the afternoon, along with Kid No. 1, digging up and bringing in my father's extensive cactus garden, which won't survive our winters. When asked how to move this one, Dad said, "Carefully."😬

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P. J. Purtee, AKA Jill (Shields) @pjpurtee.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This week’s #poetryprompt from my kidlit Rhyme Time group: Write a poem about counting or math. #kidlit #math #story Anything counts! [hint: think outside the box] #rhyme #poetry #poet #limericks #haiku

static.klipy.com

Patrick Star Says Count Me In

ALT: Patrick Star Says Count Me In

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Jacob Souva @jacobsouva.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Very proud of this #kidlit #kidlitart deep dive. I found it all super clarifying. ⭐️How can restraints unlock creative potential in your work? ⭐️Why does creative freedom yield the same results? jacobsouva.substack.com/p/making-pic...

jacobsouva.substack.com

Making Picture Books from Inside the Box

Unlocking creativity, one restraint at a time

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Yorkshire Wolds Weather @yorkswoldsweather.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

October Sky. 19°C at the Yorkshire Coast. Cormorants.

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Yorkshire Wolds Weather @yorkswoldsweather.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Morning Shadows. 12°C and Autumn light. One cow hiding.

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Jennifer Thomas @jthomasabc.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Term that’s making me smile today: sea lantern. It’s what lighthouses are called in Turkey.

Photo of a lighthouse in a harbour at sunset

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Dani Terk @dterkwrites.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

WHERE THE LIGHT SHINES IN by Jenny Mattern ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ @jengelmattern.bsky.social

Book review typed on white background. 5 Stars

"Thank you NetGalley and North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press for an eARC of Where the Light Shines In by Jenny Mattern.

Where the Light Shines In is the story of thirteen-year-old adoptee Gloria who plays the “Birth Mother” Game with her best friend, in which they rate strangers’ likelihood of being Gloria’s birth mother based on physical similarities. When a perfect ten looks up at her from the obituary page of her local newspaper, Gloria is determined to attend the woman’s funeral and learn about her likely birth mother. But finding the answers she desperately needs requires spinning a web of lies, implicating her best friend in the process, and hurting the people who love her most. And she’s not the only one concealing the truth.

Where the Light Shines In is a beautifully written story that is equally heartbreaking and heartwarming. Mattern illuminates the complex emotions related to adoption for adoptees, their adoptive families, and biological parents alike and treats all involved with incredible empathy and compassion. I loved how Gloria’s sense of identity and definition of family evolved so poignantly over the course of the novel. The symbolism of fixing broken pottery with gold to show that there is beauty in the broken places was also a perfect parallel to Gloria’s journey and a helpful reminder to young and old(er) readers alike.

Raw, honest, and hopeful, Where the Light Shines In is a must-read for adoptees, the families that love them, fans of heartfelt middle-grade contemporaries, and anyone who’s ever teared up listening to “What It Sounds Like” from KPop Demon Hunters."

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Brian Kirby @boringstorybook.com · 01/10/2026

Hello #kidlitartpostcard Day! I'm Brian, author/illustrator represented by @kaitlynleann17.bsky.social of @bradfordagents.bsky.social. 🖥️ BrianKirbyStudio.com

Picture book art of two kids with space helmets and jet packs avoiding a vintage-toy looking robot held by a large alien green hand, the chest screen on the robot says “directive: TICKLE CHILDREN”

AUTHOR / ILLUSTRATOR BRIAN KIRBY

REPRESENTED BY KAILYN SANCHEZ!
VISIT...
BRIAN KIRBYSTUDIO.COM

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Gina Perry @ginaperry.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Happy October and Happy #KidLitArtPostcard Day! I'm Gina Perry, a New Hampshire author and illustrator looking for new book projects later this year. Rep'd by Sean McCarthy Lit. More at: ginaperry.com #kidlit

4 panel comic illustrations of a young tomboy witch and her frog. They meet at the beach, fly over fruit trees, play in the rain, and make their own rainbow. Art by Gina Perry. Author/Illustrator www.ginaperry.com

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Troy Wilson @troystory.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Thanks very much for the shout out, Brian. 🙏 And yes, I could not agree more about Mike's excellent cartooning!

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Laura Segal Stegman @laurastegman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Here's my glowing review of @jengelmattern.bsky.social's debut Where The Light Shines In from @jollyfishpress.bsky.social. Love Kate DiCamillo's quote that Jenny posted: “Do not give up. The race goes to the relentless.” #kidlit #BookSky #writingcommunity #writerscommunity #middlegrade

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Laura Frost - Suspense Author @lfrostwrites.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

New bookstore signing dates! If you’re in northernish Ontario this fall, stop by and say hi. 📚

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Jennifer Thomas @jthomasabc.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Word that’s making me smile today: pretzel. A popular theory is that its name comes from the Latin brachitella (“little arms”) because it’s shaped like folded arms. Photo: Sundar1, CC-BY-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Photo of a selection of pretzels in Germany

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Jennifer Thomas @jthomasabc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Word that’s making me smile today: izzard. It’s one of the names the letter Z had in the 1700s.

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Laura Frost - Suspense Author @lfrostwrites.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Hey hey!! August Fifth, my short story inspired by true events, is now on Talking Leaves Fiction! 🐶🗻🚁 tlfiction.com/fiction/augu...

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Cynthia Mackey, Butterfly Sea, out now! @booksbycindy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Happy Book Birthday! 🎉 Yayyyyyyy! #mustread

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Kim Collazo @kcollazo.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Fascinating discussion about the current reading situation for boys! I love that Afoma supports her thoughts with data from her MG reading clubs. 🔥 readingmiddlegrade.substack.com/p/we-need-mo...

readingmiddlegrade.substack.com

Do boys really have enough books?

I went through 444 middle grade books releasing this year. Female leads outnumber male leads 2:1. And "let them read about girls" isn't the fix people think it is.

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Nimblewitlit Mag @nimblewitlit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

happy publication day to @jengelmattern.bsky.social! Look out for an interview with Jenny about the book in our soon-to-be-released issue!

Cover of the book “Where the Light Shobes In” by Jenny Mattern. Image is of a girl and a dog looking out to sea. There is a ship in the distance.

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Yorkshire Wolds Weather @yorkswoldsweather.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Early Evening Light. 16°C. Geese up high.

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Karyn Curtis @karyncurtiswrites.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Happy Book Birthday to this wonderful book!

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Yorkshire Wolds Weather @yorkswoldsweather.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Early Morning. 12°C and a sunny day to come. Cows on the hill.

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Jennifer Rummel @yabooknerd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

If you work with middle grade students or you have a child in middle grade, don't miss this upcoming book from @barbaradeebooks - it's SUPER important and SUPER good! Full review here: yabooknerd.blogspot.com/2026/09/midd...

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Jenny Mattern @jengelmattern.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

CHECK THIS OUT, EVERYONE!!!! (*please note that these capital letters represent enthusiasm, not the ravings of an evil dictator)

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Kidlit411 @kidlit411.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Our weekly big list of kid lit links is up (Sept 25): kidlit411.com/2026/09/the-... Inside: 5 Tips for MG authors, 10 PB Tips, Humor in Kidlit, etc. Thanks Annette Kraus of the illustration, @jengelmattern.bsky.social and @alaynekaychristian.bsky.social for the MG & PB giveaways.

kidlit411.com

The Weekly 411 (9/25/26)

A one-stop place for all your kid lit information needs.

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