Saying “I’m sorry” is one of the hardest things in the world to do, especially when we know we’re wrong. Today’s powerful picture book explores both the giving and the receiving of forgiveness.

Rebecca Gardyn Levington has visited my blog several times. She is a 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 WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW (which has been translated into nine languages and is the winner of a Crystal Kite Honor and a Northern Lights Book Award), AFIKOMAN WHERE’D YOU GO? (A PJ Library Selection), BRAINSTORM!, LITTLE DREIDEL LEARNS TO SPIN, WRITE HERE WRITE NOW, FINDING FORGIVENESS, SOME DAYS I’M THE WIND, and I WILL ALWAYS BE… with seven additional rhyming picture books forthcoming (so far!). Rebecca writes reviews and conducts author interviews monthly for the Picture Book Builders blog. Her award-winning 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 where she answers questions from readers and offers advice learned throughout her writing journey. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or BlueSky.

FINDING FORGIVENESS is a picture book about two sisters celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year (and a time for new beginnings). The story is told from the point of view of a big sister, who reflects back on her younger sister breaking a favorite possession. She got terribly angry and yelled at her. The amazing thing is that this scene isn’t shown, it’s just glimpsed in a flashback. We can all identify with sibling battles like this, so readers don’t actually need to hear the brutal words. I love that! Through the ceremonies of the holiday, the main character reflects on how she hurt her sister. These are tough reflections for kiddos. They do NOT like to be wrong. This approach to show empathy is incredibly effective without being preachy. What a fantastic concept!

Welcome back Rebecca!

Me: Saying you’re sorry is a nearly impossible task for children, but it certainly doesn’t get easier with age either. What gave you the idea for this book?

Rebecca: This story actually started with a call for poems by Ladybug magazine in the summer of 2021. They were looking for poems about “traditions and rituals” and, since I love a good writing prompt, I started brainstorming about various Jewish traditions and rituals that I find meaningful. I’ve always loved the Tashlich ceremony, which takes place on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. It is a ritual that is all about finding forgiveness – by making amends with those we’ve harmed and by giving ourselves grace for our missteps. The original poem was 5 stanzas long and had a little sidebar about the ceremony. I actually remember being happy when Babybug decided not to publish the poem because I was excited about the idea of playing with it more and maybe turning it into a picture book. I’m so glad I decided to go with my gut!

Me: I love that. And I love learning more about your faith from stories like this. For those of us who aren’t Jewish, can you tell us a little bit about the holiday this book is centered around?

Rebecca: I’d love to! Rosh Hashanah, which literally means “head of the year” in Hebrew, is the Jewish new year and one of the holiest Jewish holidays. It is also known as the Day of Judgment, because it is the start of a ten-day period (culminating in the holiday of Yom Kippur) during which Jewish people reflect upon their actions from the past year and make amends. It is celebrated on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishri, which typically occurs sometime in September or October (This year it begins on the evening of September 22^nd).

On the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, many Jewish people participate in a special ceremony called Tashlich (“Tash-leek”), which typically takes place near a body of flowing water – often in a park with a creek running through it, on a beach or at a riverbank. During Tashlich, which means “cast away” in Hebrew, we whisper our apologies as we throw bits of bread, or sometimes pebbles, into the water to symbolize casting away regrets we’ve been holding on to. Afterward, we reach out to the people we’ve hurt and personally ask them for forgiveness.

Me: Why is Rosh Hashanah important to you? Why did you want to write about it for young readers?

Rebecca: Tashlich has always been my favorite part of Rosh Hashanah because while it can be uncomfortable to remember actions we aren’t proud of, it gives us a chance to think about the “why” behind our behaviors. Tearing off bits of bread and throwing them into the water is a tangible way for us to hold our remorse in our hands – to inspect it from all angles, to feel the sadness for the hurt we’ve caused – and then to purposefully throw it away. I think it is an important message for kids (and for adults!) that while we cannot undo the harm we’ve inflicted, we can try to make amends and learn from our missteps. And once we’ve done so, we need to forgive ourselves as well. 

Me: The illustrations by Diana Mayo are pitch perfect. They are so soft for such a hard emotional subject, yet she also perfectly captures the child’s anger too. Were there any illustration surprises for you?  Any favorites?

Rebecca: Diana’s work on this book is pure magic. The palette is gorgeous, and I absolutely love how she incorporated bits of collage within her paintings. And I agree, she is a master at showing the characters’ emotions.

One surprise was Diana’s inclusion of a pair of chipmunks who skitter along playfully throughout the spreads of the book. I assume she got the initial idea to include the chipmunks from the stanza that accompanies the scene where all the congregants are leaving the temple, walking to the park for Tashlich: “We step into the sunshine/ ‘Shanah tovah’ we say. /Chipmunks scurry, hurry past. /At last, we’re on our way.” But Diana chose to run with this and include the little creatures in the majority of the spreads throughout the book. I think their cuteness adds a wonderful layer of levity to the story and I think kids will enjoy searching for them in each of the spreads.

In regard to my favorite spread, it is really hard to choose, but I’d probably say my favorite is the one where the older sister’s reflection is shown upside down in the water. It is truly breathtaking.   

Me: I love that you didn’t show the actual argument between the two girls in the present tense of the story, but only in flashbacks. Why did you decide to take that approach?

Rebecca: Oh, great question. I actually had several early drafts where I started the story with the girls in the middle of their argument (I think at one point my first line was: “I slam the door. “I hate you!” Harsh, I know!) But as I revised and received feedback from critique partners, I realized that that approach was far too jarring and I needed to ease into the story in a much gentler way. Also, I really wanted to showcase the Rosh Hashanah holiday and be sure that readers who aren’t familiar with its customs would be able to follow, so it made more sense to set the opening scene at the temple and then using flashbacks to show why the girls are so upset.

Me: Once again you’ve written even this difficult story with a rhyming cadence that pushes the reader along. How many revisions did this beautiful manuscript take?  (Please tell me it wasn’t a “gift from the muse” done in one setting!)

Rebecca: Thank you for the wonderful compliment. This one most definitely was NOT a “gift from the muse.” This one took a LOT of work. I count 31 drafts in my folder between March and July of 2022! I even tried taking it out of rhyme at one point, at the advice of some critiques I received, but it never felt like “me.” I’m so glad I stuck to my gut and continued to push myself to make the manuscript just right – in rhyme!

Me: Your instincts really played well with this manuscript! What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?

Rebecca: Hmm… I’m not sure anything surprised me about the writing of this story. I mean, as I said, this one took a LOT of revision to get just right, but that’s not really a surprise since most of my stories need LOTS of revision! I think the real surprise came when after only 9 days on submission, we received an email from my soon-to-be amazing editor, Joy Peskin, saying that she absolutely loved the story and wanted to do a pre-empt 2-book deal! I was FLOORED when this happened and so over the moon to know that she connected to the story as much as I did.

I’m happy to report that the second book of that 2-book deal will be coming out in winter 2027 and Diana Mayo will be illustrating as well! It is called LOOKING FOR LIGHT. Here’s the blurb:

“LOOKING FOR LIGHT is poetic picture book about a child learning how to notice and find gratitude for life’s small joyful moments. With the Jewish holiday of Shabbat as a backdrop and told from the unique perspective of “the Light,” this story encourages children of any background to take time each week to reflect upon the good in their lives.

I’ve already gotten to see some of the initial sketches from Diana and, once again, she has created absolute magic. I can’t wait to share it with everyone in early 2027!

Oh how wonderful! And congrats on a 2-book deal! That’s amazing! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog again today Rebecca.

Dear readers, this book publishes next week. This is a rhyming picture book focused on empathy between siblings (but all young readers will surely related). It’s an absolutely brilliant approach that will help kiddos forgive each other without being didactic. I can definitely see adding this to my classroom SEL collection. Trust me when I say you won’t want to miss this one.