Book Giveaway: WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW by Rebeca Gardyn Levington

Rebecca Gardyn Levington has a new picture book, WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW, illustrated by Mariona Cabassa and published by Barefoot Books. They have agreed to send a copy to the one lucky winner in the US.

Just leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Let me know other things you did to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter or reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. So, thanks for helping Rebecca and Mariona.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you everyday, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. If you want to make sure you don’t miss seeing that you won, please click “Notify Me of Follow-Up Comments By Email” box. I will leave a comment in reply if you win the book. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Empower kids to manage anxiety! We might not know what the future holds, but the lyrical rhyming text in this beautiful book reassures readers that they have the resilience and strength to face whatever comes their way. Whimsical illustrations make for a captivating read-aloud or bedtime story. Inspired by the author’s own experience with anxiety, this book offers gentle wisdom applicable to both children and adults. End matter includes a discussion guide and activity ideas for managing worries.

BOOK JOURNEY:

Thanks so much for having me back on your blog, Kathy! It was wonderful chatting with you last year about BRAINSTORM! and now I’m excited to share more about the journey of WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW.

Like many of my picture book manuscripts, WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW began as a short poem. In late November 2020, I was given the word prompt “surprise!” as part of a poem-a-week challenge in which I participate. As I brainstormed about what to write my poem about, I started thinking of all the unexpected surprises we experience in life and how we never know what tomorrow might bring.

Originally the poem was a simple list of musings about random surprises life throws at us. But pretty quickly (by drafts two and three) I found my thoughts going deeper. I thought about how I personally dislike ANY surprises (and did so even as a child). And when I considered why, I realized that it is very much connected to my fears of the unknown.

Over the next few months, I added, tinkered, and received input from many critique partners. Finally, by March 2021, I had a polished draft that I felt comfortable sending out into the world.

I was excited to receive two offers of publication for WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW (Although, just to be clear, there were also 22 passes, most along the lines of “this is too quiet” or “I’m not sure how this one will stand out amidst all the other SEL titles.”  Just want to keep things real for your readers!).

While there were a lot of wonderful things about both acquiring publishers, I ultimately chose Barefoot Books because I just knew that editor Lisa Rosinsky and I were on the exact same page in terms of our vision for what the book could be. From her very first email, it almost felt like Lisa was reading my mind.

She said she envisioned the book “not only as a bedtime favorite but also as the type of beautiful, gifty book you give for a graduation present or to a loved one coping with a difficult time.” And in terms of the art, Lisa said she would “look for an illustrator with an emotional, poetic style who could bring the text to life.” I almost cried (o.k., maybe I did a little) when I read her email because this is exactly what I had always hoped for this story and I could not be more thrilled and amazed with the final product. And can you even believe Mariona Cabassa’s art??? She is a true genius. Her illustrations are beyond breathtaking.

Barefoot was truly incredible in how much they included me and consulted with me on all aspects of the making of this book. It was a wonderful experience.

(By the way, the word “surprise” ended up getting cut! In fact, the only stanza that has remained from the original is: “Tomorrow may bring questions that you have no answers for, or questions that may lead you to more questions than before.” Everything else has changed. In all, there were about twenty drafts of the story.)

For anyone interested in learning more about the making and publication journey of WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW, I have all my interviews listed on my “NEWS” tab, in the “Past Interviews & Appearances” column on my website here: https://rebeccagardynlevington.com/news/.

While you’re there, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter where I share “ProTips” that have helped me in my career and also answer questions from subscribers about all things publishing. You can also sign up directly by using this link: http://eepurl.com/h2sK8X

Thanks again for having me back, Kathy!

REBECCA’S BIO:

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 BRAINSTORM! and WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW and has six additional rhyming picture books forthcoming, including AFIKOMAN, WHERE’D YOU GO? A Passover Hide-and-Seek Adventure (Penguin Random House/Rocky Pond Books, 2024) and I WILL ALWAYS BE… (HarperCollins, 2025).

Rebecca’s poems have been or are scheduled to be published in Spider Magazine, Highlights High Five, The Caterpillar, Honeycake: The Jewish Magazine for Creative Kids, as well as Countdown, Blast Off and Launchpad (publications of The School Magazine). Her poems have also appeared in the anthologies Hop To It: Poems To Get You Moving, Imperfect II: Poems About Perspective–An Anthology for Middle Schoolers, and Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Cats. Her poem, “Lemons!” originally published in Countdown, won the 2021 SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for poetry from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

She lives in the suburban jungles of New Jersey with her husband and two boisterous boys and is represented by Kaitlyn Sanchez at Bradford Literary.

To read Rebecca’s latest poems, learn more about her writing journey, and sign up for her newsletter, visit her website at http://www.RebeccaGardynLevington.com and follow her on Twitter at @WriterRebeccaGL.

MARIONA’S BIO:

Mariona Cabassa was born in beautiful Barcelona where she currently lives with her loving husband and son. Growing up, she was always drawn to drawing and painting. Luckily, her parents supported all her artistic endeavors such as embroidery, pottery, cooking and even gardening. Mariona studied illustration at the Massana Art School. Shortly thereafter, she completed her postgraduate degree at the School of Fine Arts in Strasbourg where she also learned how to speak French. She combines her work as an illustrator while teaching at several art and graphic design schools in Barcelona. Mariona has more than 40 illustrated books in Spain and other countries. When not illustrating, she is either dancing 5 Rhythms or learning to play the cello.

For the last 20 years my working life has primarily been the illustration of books. I have learned so much from the repeatedly challenging process of visually engaging with the words and narratives of other people.

My imagination stretches and widens to find many and varied ways to build images and drawings, paintings, colors and lines, that will fit as if hand in hand with the writer’s work. My intention always, to respect the universe they created whilst also visually contributing to it, so that the story grows in its artistry.

What really fascinates me though, is working with light and color and the power they have to elicit, in the reader / viewer, distinct and multiple feelings and emotions, beyond the drawn shapes and written narrative of the words and illustrations themselves.

Rebecca, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. I love that you’ve written a book to help children deal with their anxiety, their worries, and empowering them to face their fears. Whatever Comes Tomorrow can also be a good reminder to parents and teachers they’re not the only ones who need to cope with anxiety in this chaotic world. The back matter is perfect. The helpful tips for managing anxiety and worries is sure to keep children from becoming overwhelmed. The rhyming text is wonderful and the colorful illustrations Mariona created are gorgeous and will keep everyone turning every page till the end. A must see book. Below is some text presented on a beautifully illustrated page:

“Whatever comes tomorrow,

However steep the hill…

….you’ll find your path.

You’ll journey on.

You’ll make it through.

You will.”

Good luck with the book!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy