Perfect Picture Book Friday – Finding Forgiveness PLUS A Giveaway!!!

Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

Today we have a wonderful book to share just in time for Rosh Hashanah which is this coming Tuesday.

But first. . .

I have the delightful job of announcing the lucky winner of Heather Stigall’s giveaway from last week, a copy of GILBERT AND THE GHOST, and it is. . .

KATE GRIMM!!!

Congratulations, Kate! I know you’ll really enjoy the book! Please email me so I can get it to you!

And, for this week we have a giveaway from Rebecca of EITHER a signed copy of FINDING FORGIVENESS (US-mainland addresses only) OR a 30-minute Ask-Me-Anything Zoom call – winner’s choice!!! To qualify for the random drawing, please leave a comment below by Thursday September 25th at 3 PM Eastern!

It’s like a party every day around here with all these giveaways! I extend an all-around heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who donates a giveaway and to everyone who shows up to read my blog and leave a comment for the talented authors and illustrators who create these beautiful and special books!

Now! Are you ready for today’s Perfect Picture Book?

Title: Finding Forgiveness

Written By: Rebecca Gardyn Levington

Illustrated By: Diana Mayo

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, August 5, 2025, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: Forgiveness, Empathy, Sisterhood, Rosh Hashanah/Tashlich, Jewish Holidays, Rhyme

text copyright Rebecca Gardyn Levington, 2025, illustration copyright Diana Mayo, 2025, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Opening:
“Today is Rosh Hashanah.

We sit.

We pray.

We sing.

We think about the year that’s passed
and what the next might bring.”

text copyright Rebecca Gardyn Levington, 2025, illustration copyright Diana Mayo, 2025, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Brief Synopsis: (from the publisher) “A loving, heartwarming picture book about empathy, sisterhood, and finding the courage to ask for forgiveness―and having the grace to give it―both to others and to ourselves.

It’s Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a time for new beginnings. But two sisters don’t know how to move forward after the fight they had the night before. As they gather for the ceremony of Tashlich, during which they’ll symbolically cast away their regrets from the previous year by throwing bits of bread into a body of water, the sisters reflect on their past mistakes. They can’t undo their actions, but they can start fresh again this year, if only they take the lessons of Tashlich to heart.”

text copyright Rebecca Gardyn Levington, 2025, illustration copyright Diana Mayo, 2025, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Links To Resources: On the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, (which this year is Sept. 23rd) many Jewish people participate in a special ceremony called Tashlich (“Tash-leek”). The ceremony 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.

PJ Library offers a great article on “Explaining Tashlich to Kids,” which also includes several hands-on activities: https://pjlibrary.org/beyond-books/pjblog/august-2018/tashlich-with-kids

And for grown-ups who want to learn more, visit this article at My Jewish Learning: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tashlikh/

text copyright Rebecca Gardyn Levington, 2025, illustration copyright Diana Mayo, 2025, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Why I Like This Book: This lovely book, written in Rebecca’s always wonderful rhyme, highlights and explains the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah in a way that is accessible to all young readers. It combines a description of the traditions of the holiday with the emotional ups and downs of a sibling relationship – anger, regret, apology, forgiveness, healing – that many kids will relate to (and if they haven’t been in that situation with a sibling, they probably have with a friend.) Every child, regardless of their heritage, can benefit from the actions and attitude that are part of this holiday – the understanding of the importance of asking forgiveness. The watercolor art in soft pastels is a beautiful background for the sensitively written text. A lovely choice for Rosh Hashanah as well as for anyone navigating a fight with a sibling or friend.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊

And remember, your comment below by Thursday September 25th at 3 PM Eastern puts you in the running for Rebecca’s fabulous giveaway – a copy of FINDING FORGIVENESS (U.S. mainland addresses only, please) OR a 30-minute Ask Me Anything Zoom Call – winner’s choice!

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.

Purchase Links:
Available anywhere books are sold!
Bookshop: https://tinyurl.com/3wjd3c6y
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0374392021?tag=macmillan-20
B&N: https://tinyurl.com/2jxm89pc

35 thoughts on “Perfect Picture Book Friday – Finding Forgiveness PLUS A Giveaway!!!”

  1. Maria Marshall says:
    Reply
    Maria Marshall's avatar

    I love Rebecca’s books and this one is such a lovely book. I adore the snippets you’ve shown and am excited to get a hold of the book at my library.

    • Susanna Leonard Hill says:
      Reply
      Susanna Leonard Hill's avatar

      I totally agree, Maria! Rebecca’s books are amazing! I love how this one teaches about Rosh Hashanah without feeling like it’s teaching, how sensitively she writes about the difficult emotions involved in a fight, and about the importance of forgiveness, and her rhyme is always amazing!

  8. danihammelef says:
    Reply
    danihammelef's avatar

    This book is gorgeous and the topic of forgiveness is an important one for all readers. I wish I’d had this book when my kids were little.

    • Susanna Leonard Hill says:
      Reply
      Susanna Leonard Hill's avatar

      The fact that forgiveness is an evergreen topic makes this book even better, Danielle! It’s wonderful to have a book about Rosh Hashanah, and a story about forgiveness is appropriate all year long – not just in September!

  9. unkalung says:
    Reply
    unkalung's avatar

    Rebecca,
    As a teacher who presented several different religious celebrations, I struggled to find kind stories that presented the message from many holidays. Your story is an excellent example of kindness as it relates to Rosh Hashanah. It is warm and children can easily relate to their own experiences.
    Thank you for sharing this heart-warming story.
    Judy

  10. Claire A. B. Freeland says:
    Reply
    Claire A. B. Freeland's avatar

    I treasure my copy of this wonderful book. I’ve recommended it to teachers, parents, and librarians, and read it to littles who love its sweet message and gorgeous art.