The ability to edit the thumbnail size is a must for me, 40×40 is way too small.
I am also trying to find a solution to this. If I find a solution I’ll share.
The size of the featured image on the top of posts is controlled by the post-thumbnail setting in your style.css file.
Add the following to your child-theme style.css
.post-thumbnail img {
height: 250px;
width: auto;
}