In Rebecca Gardyn Levington‘s new picture book, FINDING FORGIVENESS (Macmillan/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2025), illustrated by Diana Mayo, two sisters prepare to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. After arguing before the holiday, the girls struggle to move on from their conflicts. But when the family participates in Taschlich, along with their community, the girls toss bits of bread into the lake, symbolically acknowledging regrets from the past. The sisters reflect and connect in a meaningful way that allows them to acknowledge mistakes, learn from their past, and make changes for the future. FINDING FORGIVENESS introduces young readers to the practice of Tashlich, as well as the general concepts of apology and forgiveness, in an uplifting, relatable way. I look forward to learning more about the book. Welcome back, Rebecca!

The concept of forgiveness can be difficult for young children. Was it a challenge to create an age-appropriate story that would resonate with young readers?

If I’m being honest, no, because (and maybe this sounds self-centered, but) I don’t really think about the child reader when I’m drafting. My stories usually begin with a feeling or emotion that I personally have or am grappling with and want to explore further. I guess that’s why I so often write in the first person. I think the books that resonate most with young readers are the ones that come from the author’s heart and experience, so I usually start there.

In writing FINDING FORGIVENESS, I really tried to put myself in my main character’s shoes, which wasn’t that hard, really, because I too know (don’t we all?) how difficult it is to recognize and admit when we have caused someone else pain. We don’t always know how to approach the person we’ve hurt. We are embarrassed by our actions and are afraid of the other person’s anger toward us. We worry: will they ever forgive us? Can I ever forgive myself? In writing this book, I really tried to slow things down and show the sister’s thought process and feelings as she grappled with the consequences of her actions. And then I tried to show specifically how the Tashlich ritual helps her find a way forward.

Why is it important for young readers to learn about apologies and forgiveness? 

Like the main character in this book, I too have a younger sister and our relationship as children was filled with arguments like the one depicted in the book. I also now have two boys of my own and see similar frustrations and miscommunications creep up between them as well. Sibling relationships are tough for anyone to navigate, and it is particularly hard for kids, who are still learning that the world doesn’t always revolve around their own experience and point of view. I think it’s important that picture books help model empathy and healthy communication between siblings so they can see that there are alternative ways to handle the situations they find themselves in and they can learn to see things from others’ points of view.

For those who may not be familiar, how can they introduce their families to Tashlich?

I really like this question because I’ve learned that a lot of people don’t know anything about Tashlich, even those who are Jewish!

Tashlich is a separate religious service that takes place after everyone has already been in temple all morning on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, and because it usually requires a walk or drive to another location, not everyone attends. In fact, as a kid growing up, my family never participated in it. It was only when I had my own family that I learned about it and began going with my children each year.

Here’s a brief explanation: Tashlich 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.

In terms of those looking to introduce Tashlich to their families, I would suggest reaching out to their local temple and asking when and where the ceremony will be taking place. I know that mine invites anyone – whether you are a member of the congregation or not, and whether you have tickets for Rosh Hashanah services or not – to attend Tashlich. I would imagine that this is true for other temples around the country.

Another way to introduce kids to Tashlich is to read books about it, like FINDING FORGIVENESS, of course! There are very few other picture books about it, which is partially why I chose the subject for my book, but Tashlich at Turtle Rock by Susan Schnur and Anna Schnur-Fishman, illustrated by Alex Steele-Morgan and New Year at the Pier by April Halprin Wayland, illustrated by Stephanie Jorisch, are both also wonderful.

What were your thoughts when you saw the illustrations by Diana Mayo? Do you have a favorite?

My exact thoughts when I saw Diana’s initial sketches were, and I quote, “WOW!” And when the spreads went to color: “Absolutely stunning!”

I initially recommended Diana to our editor after seeing Diana’s work on SNOW GHOST, written by Tony Mitton. I thought: “THAT is the feeling I want for FINDING FORGIVENESS: gentle and intimate and lyrical and classic.” And Diana certainly delivered. Her work on this book, as you can see, is pure magic. The palette is gorgeous, and I absolutely love how she incorporated bits of collage within her paintings. She is also a master at showing the characters’ emotions. I’m excited to share that Diana and I working on a second book together, LOOKING FOR LIGHT, which takes place against the backdrop of Shabbat and is about a boy finding gratitude in life’s small moments. That one comes out in early 2027. I’ve already seen sketches and they are just as magical as this one! In regard to my favorite spread in FINDING FORGIVENESS, it is really hard to choose, but I love the one where the older sister’s reflection is shown upside down in the water, along with my text: “The river glints and glimmers/reflecting my regret./I hope I’ll be forgiven, but/my heart will not forget.” That whole spread is truly breathtaking.

Can you share a bit about your writing process? Do you come up with the concept or story idea and then the rhyme or does the rhyme find you first? 

It definitely varies from project to project, but most often my books start with a short rhyming poem. Sometimes I realize immediately that there is more to explore about the concept or story, but many times it isn’t until weeks or months later when I look at the poem again that I realize: “Hey, maybe this could be a picture book….” and then I start to add to and tinker with it.

FINDING FORGIVENESS began 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. The original poem about Tashlich was 5 stanzas long and had a little sidebar about the ceremony. I actually remember being happy when Ladybug passed on publishing the poem because I was excited about the idea of playing with it more. That said, transforming this short poem into a full picture book manuscript was NOT easy. I count 31 drafts in my folder over the course of about 5 months.  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!

Thank you, Rebecca!

Rebecca Gardyn Levington 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? and FINDING FORGIVENESS (both PJ Library Selections), BRAINSTORM!, LITTLE DREIDEL LEARNS TO SPIN, WRITE HERE WRITE NOW, SOME DAYS I’M THE WIND, DINOSAUR SURPRISE!, and I WILL ALWAYS BE… with many more books forthcoming. Rebecca blogs monthly for the Picture Book Builders and 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 at www.RebeccaGardynLevington.com.

Tagged Farrar Straus and Giroux, Macmillan, picture book, Rebecca Gardyn Levington, Rosh Hashanah