New Poem Alert!

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It is so much fun to see my poems come alive with illustrations in a magazine! Here’s one right off the press, featured in the February 2023 issue of Countdown Magazine (one of the fabulous publications put out by The School Magazine in Australia!) How gorgeous is this art by David Lugge!?

My First TV Appearance!

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What an honor it was to be asked to join literacy and library advocates Ellen Myrick and Rocco Staino to chat about WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW on KidLit TV’s Publisher Spotlight Spring 2023 Kidlit Showcase, which streamed LIVE from NYC on Feb. 7th!

I was SO nervous, but I conquered my fear and lived to tell the tale! Check out all the wonderful new books on their way to bookstores near you! (You’ll find my interview at around the 25 minute mark!)

Matthew Winner Loves Whatever Comes Tomorrow!

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I can’t even believe this incredible review of WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW from the one and only Matthew Winner! For those who don’t know Matthew, he is an incredibly kind-hearted, enormously well-respected librarian, teacher, and advocate for children’s literature. He has many podcasts for both kids and creators, including The Children’s Book Podcast, which is amazing!
See his review below this screen shot or click on this link:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoK_Nc1veFp/
“Whatever comes tomorrow, however steep the hill… you’ll find your path. You’ll journey on. You’ll make it through. You will.”

Sharing the cry-every-time closing line from one of the books I shared with classes yesterday from #WRAD23. WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW has words by Rebecca Gardyn Levington and art by Marion’s Cabassa and is, for my money, just about the closet thing to a hug you can get from a picture book. The lyrical, comforting, affirming text makes me think of the late Amy Krouse Rosenthal and that very special touch she made on me and so many others. This is a book that sees your worries, your anxiety, your fears, and just holds space to feed them. The text doesn’t dismiss those worries, or minimize, or distract. Rather, it acknowledges, honors, and affirms. It’s a book I have read over and over, and each time I do it feels brand new. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.”

World Read Aloud Day was AMAZING!!

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I had the absolute pleasure of virtually visiting and sharing both BRAINSTORM! and WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW with elementary schools around the country on Wednesday Feb. 1, for World Read Aloud Day (WRAD)! I visited six schools from four states: California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Mexico. Some visits were HUGE (a whole school of 920 students from Pre-K thru 5th!) and some were small (a Kindergarten class of just 18!), but all the kids were engaged and had wonderful questions for me. Already looking forward to next year!

 

Inside The Magic of Making Picture Books!

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Most people who aren’t in the business of making picture books are shocked to learn that the author and illustrator rarely (if ever!) speak to each other while working on a book. Today on the Writer’s Rumpus blog, I share my experiences making books w/ illustrators Kate Kronreif (BRAINSTORM!) and Mariona Cabassa (WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW) and how I believe it is this arms-length collaboration that creates that intangible magic we find in children’s books. I hope you enjoy!

My STORYSTORM Guest Post!

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I was so honored to be a part of author Tara Lazar’s FABULOUS Storystorm challenge this year! For those unaware, every day for the month of January, guest bloggers join Tara in bringing writers inspiration, tips, and exercises for igniting new story ideas. The challenge is to come up with at least one idea for every day of the month!

This is my 7th year participating in Storystorm as a writer and my FIRST time guest blogging (Kind of a bucket list item for me!) so it was very exciting. Read my post here:

Storystorm 2023 Day 15: Rebecca Gardyn Levington Has Playdates with Words