Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends.
This has been a busy blog week…We had posts on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and now, Friday. Plus, I am the guest blogger over at the Official SCBWI blog for the month of May – and my first post went live yesterday: https://scbwi.blogspot.com/2025/05/just-do-it-why-i-love-writing-contests.html it’s a 5-minute read and so I hope you’ll pop over there after you read this wonderful Perfect Picture Book Friday post:

Truly, our country and our world are facing challenging times…and books like today’s feature, I WILL ALWAYS BE, are more important than ever. And we are so lucky because author Rebecca Levington stopped by to share a bit about the story behind the story.

I WILL ALWAYS BE…

Written by Rebecca Gardyn Levington

Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell

Published by HarperCollins

Release date: April 15, 2025

Ages: 4-8

Synopsis:

I WILL ALWAYS BE… is an inspirational rhyming picture book that encourages kids to celebrate their passions — whether or not they ever make it to Broadway or the big leagues. For fans of I Am Enough by Grace Byersand Remarkably You by Pat Zietlow Miller, I WILLALWAYS BE… reminds young artists and athletes, bakers and ballerinas, inventors and investigators, that doing what you love and loving what you do is what really matters.

And now let’s welcome Rebecca who is going to share a bit about the story behind the story…we always love to hear what inspired a book…and its path to publication! Welcome, Rebecca!!

REBECCA: Thank you for having me, Vivian! I’m so excited to share this book with the world! As you said, we need more books that will encourage and insprie young children to hope and dream!

Why I wrote this book: 

Before I sold my first picture book (BRAINSTORM!) in 2020, I had spent four long years doing all the things that we all do to learn the ins and outs of the industry – I read all the books, took all the classes, joined all the groups, participated in all the contests (like #50 Precious Words!). I submitted to many, many, MANY agents (definitely way too soon) and also to any editors I could find who were open to submissions — and I was getting really used to the sound of silence. I was dealing with some major Imposter Syndrome and found myself in conversation after conversation that went something like:

Them: “What do you do for a living?” 

Me: “I write picture books and poetry for kids.”

Them: “Cool! What are some of your books?”

Me: “Well, um, none have been published yet.” 

Them: “Oh…I see.”

(but what I actually heard and knew they meant, because I can read minds, was): 

“So, you’re not a ‘real’ writer, are you?”

Then one day, I was having the exact same conversation, but this time my then 7-year-old son was standing beside me. After the person asked what I did for a living, my son piped in with a super enthusiastic: “My mom is an author! She writes books for kids!”

It was a huge A-Ha! moment for me. I realized right then that I needed to change my perspective. My son was absolutely right. I was a writer. I am a writer. And I will always be a writer, whether or not I ever publish a book, because writing is what I love to do most in this world.

Not too long after that, I wrote the first draft of I WILL ALWAYS BE…which is a reminder to myself and to all kids (and adults!) to “do what you love and love what you do” – whether or not we ever publish a book, make it to Broadway, win a World Series, cure cancer or do anything ‘real’ with that passion at all. 

I WILL ALWAYS BE… became the second book I ever sold, without an agent, through a conference submission opportunity (Although because of the craziness of this publishing world, it will be my 6th book to come out!) This book deal is also the one that ultimately led me to the partnership I now have with my fabulous agent, Kaitlyn Sanchez, with whom I’ve sold an additional 11 rhyming picture books! It just goes to show how important it is to write from our own experience and, always, from the heart. 

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 WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW (which has been translated into 9 languages and is the winner of a Crystal Kite Honor and a Northern Lights Book Award), BRAINSTORM!,AFIKOMAN, WHERE’D YOU GO?, LITTLE DREIDEL LEARNS TO SPIN, WRITE HERE WRITE NOW and I WILL ALWAYS BE… with seven more rhyming picture books forthcoming. Rebecca 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 shares advice learned from her writing journey at www.RebeccaGardynLevington.com.

Social Media Links:

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/

Purchase links:

[words] bookstore in Maplewood, NJ (my local indie): https://tinyurl.com/27n3cted

Bookshop.org:https://tinyurl.com/yhahtck8

Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/586ma2cu

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/4mvj3tmj

Walmart:https://tinyurl.com/mpzkdckw