I WISH THAT YOU KNEW by Rebecca Gardyn Levington - Craft Chat with Kathy Halsey

 

 

Book Review of I WISH THAT YOU KNEW by Kathy Halsey

Early this summer I participated in the  2026 Kidlit Zombie Week and won a 30-Minute Ask Me Anything Rebecca Gardyn Levington. During that discussion we talked about her newest picture book, I WISH THAT YOU KNEW (A Bereavement Picture Book for Kids), which led into this blog post.

Rebecca and illustrator Alyssa Russell have created an evocative book that discusses the death of a grandparent in an accessible, heartfelt way through lyrical text and soft, whimsical art. Books like this give both children and parents a way to share and examine their feelings when a loved one dies.

What distinguishes Rebecca and Alyssa's book are the tangible ways children can share and move through grief with family, religious and cultural rituals. The granddaughter recounts moments and memories they created together– from walking on the beach, sharing laughs during sleepovers with friends, to being fashionistas. She creates a special memorial stone to remember her grandmother for the  first yahrzeit, or anniversary, of her passing. At the unveiling ceremony, Jewish people leave stones because stone is permanent unlike flowers that don’t last. The theme of making lasting memories that can be seen and touched is a very powerful and comforting motif.

 Craft Chat with Rebecca Gardyn Levington

Kathy: As we chatted about your newest picture book, we discussed the way grandparents and older characters are typically depicted in stories. This grandmother is active and involved with her granddaughter and with other children as seen in the sleepover spread. Did you have an overarching art note for illustrator Alyssa Russell when you created this manuscript? What background did you draw from to create the interactive relationship between the characters? 

Rebecca: Thanks so much for inviting me on the GROG, Kathy! I’m so honored to be here.The primary inspiration for this book was my Grandma Charlotte, my Gram. She was just 46 years old when I was born, so I had her in my life for almost 40 years and she was truly my best friend. This book was also very much inspired by my step-mother, Jackie, who also was huge figure in my life from the time I was 8 years old, and who passed away the same year as Gram.

I didn’t have any illustration notes about what the grandmother should look like in the book. But when I saw that Alyssa’s original character sketch for the grandmother was a very typical “sweet little old grandma” type, I knew I had say something. I absolutely LOVE everything about Alyssa’s illustrations in this book, and I liked the character she’d come up with, but my Grandma Charlotte was anything but typical. She was super hip and energetic. She never knit anything in her life and loved a good party. In fact, she went to Zumba class the morning of the day she died. I also was thinking about Jackie, who was always dressed to the nines with all kinds of sparkly jewelry and never left the house without her hair and make-up perfectly done. So, I asked if we might look at a few alternatives for this character, and Alyssa came back with the perfect hip, fun, cool grandma. I love her. (I love how you advocated for how grandmother should be represented! As a "hip" Nana myself, I applaud this!)

 

In terms of the activities that the child engages in with her grandmother in the story, I drew on some of my own memories, like going to the beach and trading jokes with my Gram, and the line: “My colorful closet is full of your flair” was 100% an ode to Jackie and her amazing outfits. But some of the scenes were made up because it was also important for me to separate myself from the child in the story to make it more universal and to make sure it didn’t feel too sentimental. For instance, I’ve never been a gardener, and neither were Gram or Jackie, but my Gram and I both love purple hydrangeas, so I wanted to find a way to get that detail into the story. I ultimately ended up cutting the word “hydrangea,” though, after a critique partner worried readers might trip on the pronunciation, so instead I used “tulips and lilacs.”

 

Kathy: I love the significance of stones you used as a motif for I WISH THAT YOU KNEW. Knowing you are a poet, what other metaphors and themes set this manuscript in motion?

Rebecca: While it’s true that I often include metaphors and other poetic devises in my stories, the stone that my character paints in honor of her grandmother in I WISH THAT YOU KNEW was not meant to be a metaphor or motif. I included it because it is a meaningful Jewish custom I wanted to highlight in the story.

In the book, the main character is remembering her grandmother on the first yahrzeit, or anniversary, of her passing, at her unveiling ceremony. This is the Jewish ceremony at which a permanent grave marker is erected at the grave site. In the story, we see the child decorating a special stone, with the words “I love you,” to honor her love for her grandmother. On one of the final spreads (my favorite, actually, as Alyssa’s art is so stunning), we see the child holding hands with her grandmother walking toward the grave marker so that she can place her stone upon it. The grandmother becomes more and more transparent as they approach, indicating she is no longer of this world. (I love this scene, too!)

Of course, the reason Jewish people leave stones instead of flowers on graves is symbolic and metaphoric. Unlike flowers that die, a stone is solid and permanent, like our memories of our loved one. I talk about this more in the back matter of the book.

In terms of other metaphors and themes, though, I must admit I wasn’t really thinking of any as I wrote this story. This book started off a poem that I wrote around the 10-year anniversary of both Gram’s and Jackie’s deaths. I was missing them both so much, thinking about how much has happened in my life since they left this earth, and how much I wish that they knew.  And so, I did what I do when I need help grappling with my strong emotions. I wrote a poem. I never initially intended this poem to become anything other than a way for me to process my grief, but as I continued to write and revise, I felt like there was a more universal story coming through me that might help others cope with their own losses.

Kathy: Rebecca, since your debut with the picture book BRAINSTORM in 2022, you have 9 published books, and this newest makes 10! Then you'll release 5 more picture books between 2026 thru 2028. How do you stay so prolific? Where do these brainstorms come from?

Rebecca: It has definitely been a whirlwind since my first book came out 4 years ago! As you mention, I WISH THAT YOU KNEW will be my 10th published book, and soon after (on Sept 1), my 11th comes out (UNICORN SURPRISE! which is a follow up to my board book, DINOSAUR SURPRISE! which came out last year). And actually, I have 8 more picture books coming out in 2027 and 2028 (3 haven’t been announced yet, which is why you don’t see them on my website yet!)

Funnily enough, I honestly don’t feel like I’m prolific at all. I know that sounds ridiculous given that I have 18 books out or on their way, but I usually only write around 3-4 picture books a year. In fact, I have only written two so far this year and we are already 2/3 through! I know a lot of people suggest that picture book writers write lots of new drafts. The whole premise of the 12x12 Picture Book Challenge is to write 12 drafts a year, for instance, and while I’ve been an enthusiastic 12x12 member for 10 years now, I haven’t once completed that challenge or even tried. I know myself and there’s no way I could keep up with that pace. What seems to work for me is to instead focus in on the handful of picture book ideas that I feel really strongly about and to spend my time polishing them up and making sure my pitches, marketing hooks, and comps are solid so that my agent can send out at least 2-3 of them each year. I’ve been lucky in that, at least in the last few years, most of the books I send out have sold, so it SEEMS like I’m prolific, but I think it is more that I spend a lot of time making sure that the stories I send out have a really good chance of getting picked up.

In terms of where do my ideas come from… Honestly, most of my books start from a feeling that I’ve been struggling with or my kids have been struggling with. I usually begin writing a poem, since that feels much less scary than facing the blank page of a “draft.” Once I have a short poem, sometimes I’ll feel like I have more to say or that there is some kind of story that has snuck in and I’ll start adding to it and shaping it into more of a narrative or give it some kind of arc. I’d say at least ¾ of my books started this way.

Kathy: We chatted on Zoom a few weeks ago about today's market and what is needed to bring a manuscript to print. I know our readers would love your advice and thoughts about topics and pitches.

Rebecca: I think the biggest thing I see missing from the manuscripts I critique is a lack of consideration of the market. If you are writing a book about the first day of school, that’s great because it is a perennial topic that will never go out of style! But, because there are SO many books on the topic, you need to find a new angle, and in order to do that, the first thing you need to do is go out and read ALL of the books that have come out on the topic in the last 5 years, so you know what hasn’t already been done and where your story can fill a hole. And then, in your pitch, you need to be able to explain why your story is different from X, Y, and Z books and WHY yours will offer something to readers that hasn’t been done before. You also need to explain WHO will buy your book, and obviously the more types of readers, the better. I feel like a lot of writers skip these steps completely and it is probably the most important if you want to get it sold to a traditional publisher. Remember, children’s book writing is a BUSINESS. You really need to be able to demonstrate to not only an editor, but their entire financial, sales, and marketing teams that there is a need for this story and give them reasons why you think it will SELL. (Excellent advice for authors in the query trenches, especially the steps that get missed!)

Kathy: I appreciate the backmatter in I WISH THAT YOU KNEW and know that educators and parents will appreciate that inclusion about an unveiling ceremony in your Author's Note. I wish more adults would look for back matter to read themselves before reading picture books to a young audience. It can frame a story in terms of the author's intent, ancillary information that makes a story deeper, or set it in historic or cultural context. Do you have backmatter your other books? What type of backmatter do you like to use and why?

 Rebecca: I’m a HUGE fan of backmatter and yes, I usually do tend to include at least some backmatter in most of my books. I think backmatter is helpful for a few different reasons. First, as you say, it can help the parents and educators who are reading the picture book with a child to help frame the story and give context. Second, great backmatter can give readers a reason to reread the text multiple times to find deeper meaning or to learn more about a topic. Third, in the case of an Author’s Note, back matter can help readers understand why you were inspired by the subject and your reasons for writing it.

Sometime I hear the advice that writers should not spend time fleshing out the backmatter and should just include possible “ideas” with a few bullet points. I think people sometimes think: “why do all that work if you don’t know what an editor will want to include.” But I disagree wholeheartedly.

 In my experience, editors really appreciate when the backmatter is completely researched and written because it shows them that I have really thought about how the book could be enjoyed by various audience and used in the classroom. For my debut book, BRAINSTORM!, which is about a little girl who has trouble coming up with ideas until she imagines a storm of ideas swirling around her, I included a list of writing prompts (which I titled “Cloudy With A Chance of Ideas!”) as well as a glossary of writing terms (“A Tornado of Terminology”). I thought these added items would offer inspiration both to kids who already loved writing and to those who needed a boost, and I believed teachers would enjoy the added activities for their students. As it turns out, my editor, Sarah Rockett at Sleeping Bear, told me that it was the backmatter that sold her on the book because it helped her clearly could see (and therefore she could show the rest of her team) the marketing potential when it came to educators.

But even for stories that don’t lend themselves to lesson plans or lots of backmatter, I like to at the very least include an Author’s Note. I find that, even if it never makes it into the final book, an Author’s Note gives the editor an understanding of who you are and the connection you have to the story, which I think helps them understand why you believe the book is needed in the world.

Kathy: What are your plans for this current book launch? Let us know where we can find you in bookstores or for author visits. Congratulations on this lyrical, helpful book that addresses a topic that may find hard to discuss with children.

Rebecca: So, for this book, I decided not to do any bookstore, school, or other launch events. Given the many questions and big feelings this book may elicit, I think this is a book that is best read by a parent or other caregiver with their child, rather than in a story time or author visit setting. Most patrons of bookstore story times tend to just wander in with their kids, not really knowing what the story will be about but expecting it to be a more light-hearted event and not one that could potentially stir up painful feelings for their child without any notice.

That said, I do think books like I WISH THAT YOU KNEW, and other books about death, dying, and managing grief, are extremely important and I hope that parents do not shy away from discussing such topics with their children. When someone dies, particularly if it is a close relative or friend, any child (much like any adult), will naturally feel so many emotions, from loss and sadness to confusion, shock, and even anger. But a child typically has less experience managing those feelings. When adults refuse to talk to kids about a death or dying because it isn’t “appropriate,” it sends a message to kids that they too should hide their feelings or that it is somehow “bad” to express them.

 

Books like I WISH THAT YOU KNEW can help make discussions around death more comfortable for both the child and adult by offering some distance from the emotions. Talking about how the characters are feeling allows kids to feel that it is ok to also feel those feelings too, and helps them see that they aren’t alone.

 

I think word of mouth is going to be my biggest marketing strategy for this book, so I really appreciate you helping spread the word about this one. Thanks so much for having me today!

Biography

Rebecca Gardyn Levington is an award-winning 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 18 books for children, including FINDING FORGIVENESS (a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable and PJ Library selection), WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW (a SCBWI Crystal Kite Honor winner and Northern Lights Book Award winner, which has been translated into 11 languages), AFIKOMAN, WHERE’D YOU GO? (a PJ Library selection which was named one of the best holiday books of the year by both School Library Journal and the Association of Jewish Libraries), SOME DAYS I’M THE WIND (a 2026 Children’s Book Council Librarian Favorite and a 2026 Children’s Literature Assembly Notable), and BRAINSTORM! (a Pennsylvania Readers’ Choice Award winner). Rebecca’s 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 at www.RebeccaGardynLevington.com.

 

Find Rebecca Here

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccagardynlevington/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/WriterRebeccaGL

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/rebeccaglevington.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriterRebeccaGL/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Books for the Beach

 by the GROGgers

 

The GROG Blog team is taking the summer off - we'll return in late August. But before we pack our towels and sunscreen, we've got a few suggestions for books to read at the beach. Or in the car. Or sitting next to the sandy play area at the local park. In no particular order:

Sue Heavenrich's got her beach tote packed with these fun reads!

 

 

 Build a Sandcastle, by Eileen Rajala Meyer; illus. by Manica Musil (Reycraft, 2025)

Written in rhyme, it begins: Build a castle in the sand – ask a friend to lend a hand. Page by page we watch as two friends determine the ideal construction site, prepare a foundation, gather materials, and build. Each spread includes Five-Star Tips – short sidebars full of useful info about everything from where to find the best castle-building sand to scrounging the shore for suitable decorations.

 

How to Code a Sandcastle, by Josh Funk; illus. by Sara Palacios (Viking, 2018)

It is the last day of summer vacation, and Pearl has been trying to build sandcastles all summer. But things keep happening to them. Today, though, she’s got the perfect plan and the perfect building partner – her trusty, rust-proof robot buddy, Pascal. All she has to do is tell Pascal what to do, and how to do it. There’s just one problem… when Pearl tells Pascal to build a sandcastle, he doesn’t know what to do. The solution? Give Pascal more specific instructions.

 

 

Look What I Found at the Beach, by Moira Butterfield; illus by Jesus Verona (‎Nosy Crow, 2022)

This is the perfect book to tuck in your beach tote. Part field guide and part treasure hunt, we follow three friends as they comb the beach in search of shells, stones, and sea life. Some spreads invite you to look for specific things: a sea star, tiny fish, some shrimp. Other spreads explain how to identify things, such as different kinds of crabs you might find, or types of shells. And there are scavenger-hunt lists that encourage kids to take a closer look at the illustrations. 

 

Seashells: More Than A Home, by Melissa Stewart; illus. by Sarah S. Brannen (Charlesbridge, 2019)

Every day, seashells wash up on beaches all over Earth, like treasures from a secret world beneath the waves. They come in all sizes, colors, and shapes because they have so many different jobs to do. Some shells allow their mollusk inhabitant to dive deeper into the water or tunnel into the seabed to hide from a predator. Some blend in with their background, while others light up.

Kathy Halsey's ready for a slight breeze, some mild surf, and the Beach Boys at the ready. Here's my stack of summer fun!

Hot Dog, by Caldecott winner Doug Salati (Knopf Book for Young Readers, 2022)

Hot Dog and his lady are tired of hot times and summer in the city. What to do? It's all TOO Much for Hot Dog. They escape via taxi to an island "wild, long, and low as Hot Dog himself." Readers can vicariously join this now frolicing dachshund and kick the summer heat metaphorically.  The drawings are so joyous, I can imagine myself, wagging my tail in the wind as my long ears fly free. Fun for all. Four paws up for Scrappy Doo and me.

Maya's Treasure by Laurie Smollett Kutscera (Peter Pauper Press, 2021) 

Maya and he sister Alita collect shells every morning and create jewelry from them, a tradition their grandmother taught them. Alita sifts through shells, discarding the broken ones, but Grandma's words echo in Maya heart. Each shell is unique and and has its own magic. Maya takes Alita's rejected shells and experiments. How will she make them valuable?

At the moment she's ready to pitch them, she makes a discovery. She repurposes them into wind chimes.  Still Alita thinks no one will buy them. Maya hangs the chimes from a branch by her window and dreams of Grandma. Th wildly clanging chimes alert her to the incoming storm and the girls waken the townspeople. Now the sturdy, strong chimes peal throughout the village, a gift to all.  This lyrical thoughtful SEL picture book champions upcycling, recycling, and the power of creativity.

Kathy Halsey's last gift to share is the unique way haiku and photography take seemingly ordinary moments and turn them into art for others to enjoy. Be in the moment this summer. Find creativity.

Tina Cho is on summer break from school, wishing she was at the ocean, but will settle for Lake Michigan by Chicago! Her recent list of summer books is at this post, and you can check out her ocean book below.

God's Little Oceanographer, by Tina Cho; illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns (PRH/Waterbrook, 2025)

Follow diverse children as they dive the depths of the sea and learn ocean facts from each zone and accompanying Bible verses that show God's love for them. Activity pages can be printed here. 

 

Planting seeds for picture books with agricultural roots

 by Sue Heavenrich

 

  I love gardening. There’s something about the smell of fresh soil, dropping seeds into thumbprint holes, and the constant humming of bees and flies. Not only does my garden provide food for the table, but it serves as my science lab and recently inspired a book about pumpkins.  

 

 

 

Turns out a bunch of writing friends have their own garden-related books featuring cabbages, compost, nut trees and farm life – some of them award-winning titles! So I invited them over to the GROG today to relax in the shade, sip icy lemonade and chat about our books that celebrate agricultural connections. Since Chelsea's sitting right next to me, I'll start with her.

 

What inspired your story, and how did you decide to write it the way that you did?

Chelsea

Chelsea Tornetto (Seasons on the Farm): I grew up in rural southern Illinois with farm families on both sides, so the topic itself was very familiar to me.  At first, I thought it might be an overdone topic...seasons are a common theme in children's books, as are farms!  But I realized that the combination of the two allowed me to highlight how farmers see the seasons through a much more purposeful lens than "regular" people.  For them, being tuned in to even the most subtle signs of the changing seasons is essential to their success and their livelihood.  So, I decided to focus on that and help show kids who may not be familiar with rural life how the changing seasons are about more than just snow days and spring flowers.  

Peggy Thomas (The Soil in Jackie’s Garden): I had wanted to write about soil for a long time because I’m fascinated by all the magical things that happen underground. I struggled to find the right story structure until one day while I was teaching a writing class. I reminded my students that rather than reinvent the wheel they could try using one of the many traditional story structures like “The House That Jack Built.”  The moment I said it I knew it would be perfect for showing how everything begins and ends with soil. It’s the first time I took my own advice.  

Roxanne Troup  (My Grandpa, My Tree, and Me): While researching, I ran across a YouTube video of a farmer harvesting pecans and was thunderstruck by their methods. I grew up in a farming community and had some experience with agriculture and pecans, but no one I knew harvested pecans by tractor. And I had never considered how all those pecans would sound or look like falling from the tree like rain! It was dusty and noisy and not at all the way my family gathered pecans. This dichotomy provided the structure for the informational element of my book—comparing commercial pecan harvesting with at-home production—but I needed a story mechanism that could making interesting information meaningful. I needed heart. While brainstorming, the phrase, “But not my tree,” popped into my head and I immediately knew an intergenerational family would provide the necessary story wrappings (a.k.a. “heart”) for this tale.

Karen Greenwald (The Cabbage Seed’s Colossal Secret): The stories that grab my attention often involve an unlikely hero/es. When I found out about the nine-year-old girl who chose to give a local soup kitchen a 40-pound cabbage she grew, then started a charity to encourage children nationwide to do the same, it was an instant click—exactly the kind of story that I like to put a spotlight on. I often think good stories tell you who they are and how they want to be written. To me, taking a circular approach felt powerful. I wanted it to reflect the growing cycle, the giving cycle, and the sharing cycle this child initiated.

Sue, with Jarrahdale pumpkin

Me: The Pie that Molly Grew started as a response to a challenge from Susanna Leonard Hill. Write about pies, she said. I listed all the kinds of pies I’d ever heard of and circled pumpkin, which is my favorite. And I jotted down a line: this is the pie that Molly made. That line stuck in my head like an earworm, pestering me until I planted my pumpkin seeds and realized that it might be a book about how a seed no bigger than a penny can grow into a long, tangly vine that produces an abundance of pumpkins. 

So, do we all garden? Or tend to plants in some fashion?

Peggy: I love gardening, but I love wildlife even more, so I’m slowly replacing non-native flowers and shrubs with ones that grew in my area before Europeans arrived. These native plants like coneflower, milkweed and spicebush are the plants that insects, birds and other animals rely on, but they are disappearing due to habitat loss, climate change, pesticide use, etc. I can’t do much about the bigger picture, but I can make a difference at home by turning my yard into a little nature sanctuary.

Roxanne: I live in a high-altitude, semi-arid, suburban area; so what I can grow is limited. To make the most of our resources and provide pollinators with what they need, I focus on native flower gardens/landscape plants, herb gardening, and container gardens for my veggies. (I also have a variety of house plants—including an avocado tree, currently in need of a larger pot, that my son grew as a science experiment in middle school.)

Roxanne

Karen: I wish I could garden in my yard but as I look out the window most days (when I probably should be focused on my computer screen), the number of deer grazing in my yard is striking. Every time we've planted flowers, they were snipped at the bud. So, I am more of a viewer of nature!

Chelsea: I have a bit of a black thumb, but my husband is a huge gardener, and most of our backyard is covered in garden beds.  (see pic).  While I don't do the work, I certainly enjoy the fruits of his labor!  We have strawberries, cantaloupe, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, onions, figs, peas, and much, much more.  He also keeps my flowers alive for me!  :)  As shown in my first picture book, GARDENS ARE FOR GROWING, our kids have grown up in the garden, and I love watching them pick produce, help water, and just generally enjoy the outdoors with their Dad.  

Me: Every time I plant pumpkin seeds, I marvel how this humble fruit has fed families for thousands of years.  I cannot remember a Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie. So I knew I had to include that connection of giving thanks for the earth and the sun, the rain and the seed, the flowers and the bees, and the gardeners and farmers who grow the food we eat.

What sort of connections did you want to emphasize in your book?  

Karen

Karen: I love a story where a community is formed, and where that community finds an unlikely or unimagined way to solve a problem. In this case, children all over the country have joined together, without even knowing each other, to make a dent in the food crisis. It’s a type of community that can grow exponentially, impacting an untold number of people’s lives. To me, that’s an incredible outcome. I also love that it teaches children to plant themselves somewhere or in something and nurture what they’re growing in both the Earth and within themselves—and as they increase their garden, hopefully their compassion, talents, and interest in protecting our environment will expand as well.

Chelsea: As I mentioned earlier, both sides of my family are farmers, and one thing I've realized over the years is how unique farming is as a job.  Other kids I knew growing up had parents who worked specific hours, had to schedule their "vacation" days, complained about their bosses, etc.  But a farm, as a family business, is more like a big, never-ending family project, and daily life is woven more naturally into the "job." The whole family has to work together and rely on each other to succeed...and it forces you to depend on each other more...which can build really close relationships.  There's also a special sense of pride in a family farm that's often been passed down from generation to generation.  A family farm more than just a source of income.  It's a part of your history.  I really love that.  

Peggy: It was important that my book be more than just planting a seed and harvesting a watermelon. That agricultural part of the story exists within and because of the larger web of organisms working to aerate the soil, release nutrients, pollinate flowers, and decompose dead things. Severing those connections weakens the entire system.

Roxanne: Like gardens, families come in all shapes and sizes. And family—whether the one we’re born into or the one we choose for ourselves—gives us roots. It provides us with support and fuels our growth. Even as families change (as gardens do throughout the seasons) the love we share doesn’t run out. It may look different in different seasons of life, but it is still there nurturing and supporting us.

Me: One of the things I hope readers take away from reading The Pie That Molly Grew is how a single plant can be part of a web that connects sun and soil, flowers and bees, and the food we eat. I hope it inspires kids to plant a seed, whether it’s pumpkin or carrots or spinach for their salads.

What do you hope readers take away from your book?

Peggy

Peggy: I hope that, after reading The Soil in Jackie’s Garden, young readers will want to be part of the soil cycle. It is so easy to do. By creating a compost pile, they become just as impactful as all the other animals working in the garden. Plus, it is so much fun to poke around in the compost and watch food scraps disappear.

Chelsea: I hope kids who aren't familiar with farm life will gain a new understanding of and respect for the lifestyle I show in Seasons on the Farm. I also hope that farm kids who read my books will see themselves and their lives reflected on the pages.  

Roxanne: When they reach the last page of My Grandpa, My Tree, and Me, I hope kids have learned more about where our food comes from – and the incredible about of work required to produce their favorite snacks. I also hope that they pick up on the subtle message that familial love, like the pecan tree, grows with time and care.

Karen: I hope readers, young and older, take away a sense of empowerment from The Cabbage Seed’s Colossal Secret, and a realization that, while there are great problems for us to solve, they can help be a part of positive change. Every tiny seed planted is another opportunity to make a difference!

Me: Thanks everyone. My glass is empty, so that means it’s time to head back to weeding – or writing.

You can find out more about our roundtable guests - and their books - by visiting their websites:

Chelsea minds the farm at chelseatornetto.com
Peggy turns compost at www.peggythomaswrites.com    

Roxanne sits in the shade of pecan trees at www.roxannetroup.com
Karen turns small seeds into giant stories at www.karengreenwald.com
Sue dreams about pie at www.sueheavenrich.com

Summer Picture Book Study by Tina Cho

 

Happy summer, groggers! I love going to my local library and checking out new picture books to see what’s being published and to have an awareness of the ideas circulating. You never know when you need a comp book or mentor text for your own writing. Comp books are books that are comparable to yours, for publishers and agents to compare their marketability. Mentor texts are books that you as a writer use to analyze and see what made that story work and get published. Here are some that jumped out at me.

Serafina Makes Waves by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Robin Rosenthal is a hilarious story about an adorable cat who “detests water.” What will she do when her beloved stuffy falls into the pool? A fun book for kids learning to swim!

For creatives: This fear-of-water theme is not new. How do you take a familiar theme/story and tell it in a fresh way? This book mixes two high concepts for kids—a beloved stuffy and adorable cats.

Deep Blue: Swimming in the Big Blue Sea by Dashka Slater, illustrated by Laura Hughes

Kayla and her father go to the beach with her dolphin floaty. She swims until a “sharp shell” pierces her floaty. She's scared to swim in deep water, but her father reminds her she "does" know how to swim. So, they play a game. “’You be the island,’ I say. ‘I'll be the lighthouse.’" This continues with other metaphors until she eventually is as good a swimmer as her dolphin. This book would be perfect for those reluctant swimmers. And it would be wonderful for kids to practice writing your own metaphors. 

For creatives: This is another book with a fear-of-water theme but takes a different spin of adding in poetry, specifically metaphors. Also, the main character already knew how to swim, just not in deep water.

A Room with a View by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Thais Mesquita

Oliver hesitates to go on an adventure with Mama who takes him camping in a tent because “This is a room with a view!” He complains and has a less fun attitude and plans missing out on their next adventure until he realizes all the special moments he would miss with his mama like making shadow puppets and the marshmallow roasting championship. Back matter includes an author’s note about preserving national parks, tips for adventuring like a pro, and a state list of national parks.

For creatives: Choose a summer topic and add in important layers or entry points. This book highlights a unique and important setting—a national park. It’s also a timely story of enjoying the outdoors without electronic devices. 

Lydia Loves Bugs by Heidi E. Y. Stemple and Yuliya Pankratova

Just like the title says, Lydia loves bugs. “Big, bouncing bugs and small, squiggly bugs.” Without spoiling the humor in the book, not everyone in her family loves bugs like she does. Back matter includes an author’s note defining entomologist and defining how “bug” is used in the book. End pages list fun facts about all the bugs in the book.

For creatives: Again, there are a bajillion bug books in the world, but how is this one different? With its very simple, lyrical text and big illustrations, young kids will be drawn into the book. The authors don’t state any real insect names, but instead use fun descriptive words to describe the bugs, like “you-can-barely-see-‘em bugs.” I love how the back matter is really aimed for the young reader and speaks directly to the kid as in “Chasey, pinch bugs: Stag beetles really look like they will pinch you because of their large mandibles. But they can’t actually hurt you.” How can you be creative with your back matter so that it’s aimed at the intended age of the reader?

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So now you have four summery books to study. What others have you found? Drop them in the comments! And if you'd like a summer challenge--try writing a summer themed picture book. How is yours different from all the other summer books? What entry points and layers can you add in? (By that I mean, what hooks and themes does your story have to market it?) Happy summer reading and writing!