My conversation with Rebecca Gardyn Levington and Naomi M. Gruer, authors I’ve known for over a decade as part of a New Jersey SCBWI writers support group, continues.
Rebecca’s 10th book, I Wish that You Knew, illustrated by Alyssa Russell (Little Bee Books, 2026) came out in August, and Naomi’s debut Hear Me Roar I’m a Hanukkahsaur, illustrated by Mel Zohar (Kalaniot Books, 2026) was published earlier this week. Their inspiring dedication to storytelling and writing, along with their belief in the uplifting power of stories for young children made me want to share their strategies for practicing a writerly life.
When you face a mental block, in the middle of a project, how do you shift the energy to move forward? Did you ever totally subvert a manuscript and get surprising results?
Rebecca: This is an interesting question. I actually rarely have mental blocks in the middle of a project. I really love revising once I have something to play with. So, my mental blocks usually come at the start of a project. I absolutely despise sitting down to write a first draft. In fact, you can generally find me procrastinating by doing pretty much anything else to avoid a blank page. I’m currently going through a season where I haven’t written anything new in months because of this fear of not knowing how to start.
Often what pulls me out of the funk (and something I really need to start doing again) is to tell myself I’m only writing a poem. Not a first draft. Not a start to a new picture book. Just a poem. Many (if not most) of my picture book drafts have started as poems that I came back to later to expand, realizing I had more to say on the subject.
Naomi: The best way for me to deal with a mental block is to take my dog for a walk. I turn over the problem, be it characterization, plotting or wording, in my head. Oftentimes, I’ll get a new idea, but if I don’t, I’ll put the work away for a day or so. Other strategies are to brainstorm or ask my critique partners for help by weighing in on sticky issues.
Do you have a dream illustrator or illustrators that you would want your words paired up with in a book, and why? Let’s send this wish out into the universe!
Rebecca: There are so many incredible illustrators who I’d be so grateful to create books with, but I will mention two. The first is Selina Alko, whose use of collage and mixed media is so gorgeous, energetic, and emotional, full of interesting textures and hidden meaning. I especially love her work on The Keeper of Stories written by Caroline Kusin Prichard (Simon & Schuster, 2025), and also her latest, Otherwise Known as Judy the Great (Hachette, 2026) a biography of Judy Blume told in a series of poems that she both wrote and illustrated.
I’ve also had the pleasure of getting to know Selina over the last few years, and we’ve sat on a few panels together at conferences because her book with Alison Goldberg, The Remembering Candle (Barefoot Books, 2025), touches on similar themes as I Wish That You Knew, about loss and grief through the lens of Jewish ritual. Selina happens to be one of the kindest and most thoughtful people and I’d absolutely love for us to find a book to do together.
The second dream illustrator I’ll mention is Gillian Eilidh O’Mara whose lyrical, poetic style I’ve admired for years. She would often post bits of her work on social media and I became obsessed with her ability to capture light. I’ll admit I am cheating a bit because Gillian is actually signed on to illustrate one of my upcoming books, Apples All Around, coming out in the fall of 2028 with Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Macmillan. I recommended her to my editor and I’m so grateful my editor loved her style as well. So, you see, dreams really can come true!
Naomi: The answers to this interesting question depend on the text. For a book similar to Hear Me Roar! I’d be happy to work with Mel Zohar again.
I admire how Suzanne Kaufman places expressive groups of children in a lush, colorful world in author Alexandra Penfold’s All are Welcome, (Knopf Books, 2018). I have a lyrical picture book that I’d love to collaborate on with Aimee Sicuro—her illustrations combining real elements like leaves and shells are beautiful.
And how cool would it be if Peter Brown illustrated my humorous-and-sort-of-scary picture book?
Any book, other than your own picture books, that you hold close to your heart, one that you may have read as a child or have found inspirational?
Rebecca: Again, this is tough because there are just so many. I think I probably first found my love of rhyme, humor, and poetry in Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends (Harper Collins, 1974). I remember reading, re-reading and memorizing those poems a lot as a kid.
When I first got started in writing myself, I’d say the most influential to me were Julia Donaldson’s Room on the Broom (Penguin Random House, 2001) and Snail on the Whale [both illustrated by Axel Scheffler] (Penguin Random House, 2004), and Chris Van Dusen’s If I Built A Car (Dutton Books, PRH, 2005) and If I Built a House (Dutton Books, PRH, 2012).
I used to read these books to my kids all the time and was always amazed by how those authors managed to tell their stories so masterfully with interesting and intricate meter and rhymes that felt so natural and unforced. Those books were so fun to read aloud and I aspired to be able to write like them someday. I’m still working on it!
Naomi: The books my own children wanted to hear again-and-again, such as Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (HarperCollins, 2004) and the Max and Ruby books by Rosemary Wells, are close to my heart. As a teacher, I learn what makes kids laugh and, though they aren’t picture books, the Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems (Penguin Random House, 2007-2016) cracks them up! I love the humor and heart in Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson and middle grade books.
What are your favorite time management hacks, tips to stay focused and for goalsetting?
Rebecca: The downside to having lots of books published (and I promise, I am not complaining at all!) is that now there are a lot of things, other than writing, that take up my time, such as looking over contracts, social media promotion, writing blog posts like this, putting together my newsletter, looking at art for upcoming books, emailing editors back about various questions, presenting at schools, doing professional critiques, etc.
So, in terms of staying focused on the actual writing, what has worked for me the last few years is to set aside funds for writing retreats where I can get away from my usual surroundings and obligations.
I’m lucky enough that I live within a two-hour drive of the amazing Boyd’s Mills Retreat Center (formerly Highlights). I try to get there for a Personal Retreat at least 3-4 times per year and stay for 3-4 days each visit. When I’m there, I put an out-of-office alert on my email, only allow myself to check my phone at night before bed, and I just immerse myself every day in brainstorming and Writing new poems and picture book drafts.
Usually, this results in me walking away with at least a few completed poems and, if I’m lucky, a picture book draft or two. As I mentioned before, revision is the fun part for me, so when I’m back home I can work on polishing up those drafts – when I find the time!
Naomi: My “office” is a desk by a window in an unused bedroom, and I recently moved a bookshelf nearby to make it feel more official. The first things I do when I start working are take my watch off and silence my phone. Then I figure out my priorities. Do I have to a deadline to meet? Do I need to do research?
I allow myself an hour to do research before writing. Research may mean preparing to write a freelance article, looking up habitats of animals, reading several versions of a holiday story, typing up a mentor text, or looking up facts for a glossary.
How do you care for yourself around feedback—both praise and critique?
Rebecca: Oh, I think I shared a bit of this… In regards to how I absorb and respond to critique partner feedback on my projects. I actually really thrive on being pushed and questioned about my work. I’d much rather hear constructive criticism than “This is great! I love it!” To me, that isn’t useful at all.
That said, when it comes to post-publication feedback, of course it’s really nice to receive praise and starred reviews, but I always remember how subjective it all is. I certainly don’t love every book I read, so I can’t expect every reader to love my books.
My favorite feedback comes not from the professional reviewers, but when I’m tagged by folks I’ve never met who discovered my books, and the personal emails from teachers, librarians, and readers who write me and tell me how my book touched them in some way. I print all those emails and keep them in a folder so I can look at them anytime I’m feeling discouraged.
Naomi: The very first time I was critiqued in a writer’s group, I cried on the way home. Many years and critiques later, along with just as much time spent critiquing other writers’ work, I’m able to receive feedback without taking it personally.
Now, I try to listen to each person’s comments with an ear towards what aspects that writer brings to the table. One person might be great at characterization, another knows plot, and yet another has an ear for meter. Overall, I temper any praise with the reality—even if my agent and I love a manuscript and it’s sent out on submission, there’s no guarantee I’ll get an offer. I’m always looking for ways to balance disappointment with hope since the ideas keep coming.
Have you experienced mentorship—giving or receiving—and what impact did that have on your writing?
Rebecca: Yes! My very first book, Brainstorm! happened as a direct result of a mentorship I had with author Lori Degman in 2019 through the PBChat Mentorship program (now defunct). At the end of our three months together, Lori graciously offered to introduce me to some of the editors she’d worked with, one of whom was Sarah Rockett at Sleeping Bear Press.
I was un-agented at the time, so having a direct connection to an editor was huge! Sarah was willing to consider a manuscript from me and while she passed on that one (and three others!), she eventually took Brainstorm! to acquisitions and ultimately published it! It was all very exciting (hence all the exclamation points!).
Now I’m very grateful to be able help others through my newsletter and by offering professional critiques and one-on-one consultations, and am considering creating a sort of longer-term mentorship offering as well. It’s in the works, so stay tuned!
Naomi: A bunch of years ago, before I was agented and after many rejections, I decided to hire a mentor, Emma Dryden. I didn’t know if I should continue down this path, and asked Emma to be brutally honest. Did she think my writing had what it took to be published? Her mentorship was crucial and she encouraged me to forge ahead.
Signing with and working on manuscripts with my agent has meant the world to me. And I’ve been a freelance writer since high school, so my other “mentors” are the editors who’ve hired me to write a column, essays, leveled text for NYC’s Department of Education, articles and more. Improving my journalistic skills has positively impacted my Kidlit writing.
And finally, how do you stay grounded in the value of writing during our current politically, socially, and economically challenging time?
Rebecca: Indeed, it has been a very difficult time we’re living in, especially with the increase in antisemitic attacks everywhere I look. It is devastating and frankly, frightening – both for the state of humanity, but also on a personal level. I worry every day.
How do I stay grounded? Well, I try my best to focus on what I can control. I can’t change the horrors of the world, but I can choose to not add to them, I can write the stories I needed to read as a child, and I can find strength and support in the amazing children’s book community I’m so proud to be a part of.
Naomi: I think about our challenging times, but then I enter my classroom and am immediately in-the-moment with my preschool kiddos. Working with young children and their families shows me the value of engaging curious minds. Just like kids look to grown-ups to make sense of the world, they listen to books to learn about emotions, humor, serious topics, the natural and fantastical, new vocabulary, and how artists depict language.
One of my goals as a teacher and a writer is to show kids the wonder of the world, and books help me do that.
Cynsational Notes
Read part 1 of Mitu’s interview with Rebecca Gardyn Levington and Naomi Gruer here.
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 Passover Hide-And-Seek Adventure (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.
Naomi Gruer is a freelance writer who has published articles, essays, a column, and a blog. She’s written leveled test texts for NYC’s Department of Education and, as a Microsoft Guest Educator, has participated in World Read Aloud Day by Skyping with schools in Spain, Canada and the U.S. She’s a preschool teacher in New Jersey where she’s raised triplets and a younger daughter. She’s represented by Rena Rossner. Hear Me Roar! I’m a Hanukkahsaur is her first picture book. Find her on Instagram: @naomimgruer and Facebook: Naomi Milsten Gruer
Mitu Malhotra holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has been recognized as a Lee & Low New Visions Award finalist, winner of the Katherine Paterson Prize for Literature, and with scholarships from Boyds Mills/Highlights Foundation, Tin House, and a Djerassi Program writing residency. Her short story “Toxins” is part of ELA curriculum and her writing has appeared in Hunger Mountain, Thin Air Magazine and elsewhere. In previous avatars, Mitu was a textile and fashion designer, and has taught in India, the Middle East and the US. Mitu is a member of CBIG (Children’s Book Illustrators Group, NYC) and SCBWI, New Jersey. When not writing or drawing, Mitu can be found cooking, upcycling clothes and sewing memory kimonos or building miniature doll houses from salvaged materials. Website: www.mitumalhotra.com Instagram: @mituart Bluesky: @mitumalhotra.bsky.social