I Wish That You Knew (a Bereavement Picture Book for Kids) - by Rebecca Gardyn Levington (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

When a young girl attends her grandmother's unveiling ceremony a year after her death, she reflects upon and celebrates the special relationship she cherished with her supportive and fun-loving grandmother.

My memories of you
stay strong like this stone.
So though you are gone,
I'm never alone.

A child reflects on all the fun things she used to do with her grandmother, like baking challah, growing tulips, walking on the beach, and sharing jokes. Told against the backdrop of a Jewish unveiling ceremony, which takes place around the first anniversary of a loved one's passing, this is a story about the imprints that the people we love leave upon our hearts long after they are gone.

This heartfelt picture book is about honoring those we have lost by remembering the happiness, comfort, and wisdom they brought into our lives.

About the Author

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.

Alyssa Russell is an illustrator living in Austin, TX, and a graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design. She is passionate about the use of fantasy as a medium for emotional expression through heartfelt characters and meaningful narratives. Alyssa is aesthetically drawn to light, gesture, and expressive use of texture stemming from her love of vintage illustrators such as Hilary Knight, Garth Williams, and Maurice Sendak. When she is not illustrating she can be found bouldering, reading philosophy, or strumming some tunes on her guitar.