Chit Chatting with Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler

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 Chit Chatting with Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler 

Interviewed by: Jill Sheets







J: When did you decide that you wanted to be an author?

R: My 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Hodge, encouraged me to enter the Young Author’s Contest, and as they say, that’s all she wrote! I was hooked on writing. Since I was a little girl, I knew somehow I would become an author. 

J: Tell us about your book When Mama Grows With Me.

R: In When Mama Grows with Me, a mama and her son create their own garden, starting with just a few small seeds and ending with a beautiful display of flowers. They observe how pollinators help the earth stay healthy, learn how to care for plants, and meet other critters that live in their garden, all while playfully shaping their bodies into yoga poses inspired by nature. Not only do Mama and her son learn valuable lessons about their garden, but along the way, they also learn to practice patience. 

By pairing lessons with movement, Rebecca Wheeler helps young readers make connections between the natural world and their own emotional experiences. Learn the value of patience and practice some fun yoga poses in this beautifully illustrated children’s book.

Includes a step-by-step guide to each yoga pose!

J: How did you come up with the idea for that story?



R: This is the second book in my yoga series. The first When Daddy Shows Me the Sky was released in 2021. Both books combine exploring nature in your own backyard and yoga. My son loves to be in the garden with me, so it was a natural pair!

J: Tell us about your other books.

R: In When Daddy Shows Me the Sky, a father and daughter spend their evenings practicing yoga together under the night sky. Through spring, summer, fall, and winter, they learn the names of the constellations and model their yoga poses after the stars’ unique shapes.

Brought to life with bright and bold illustrations, this simple father-daughter story combines yoga and astronomy to help children see the wonder in the world around them—and within themselves.

Read along with your child to learn mindfulness, astronomy, and yoga together!

Includes a step-by-step guide to each yoga pose! 

***

The coming-of-age novel, Whispering Through Water, follows Gwyn Madison, the summer after her high school graduation, as she grapples with her fast-approaching future. She’ll have to face more than she bargained for with her Aunt Delia, the family matriarch, who holds the purse strings and the final word.  In the meantime, Gwyn stumbles upon a tightly held family secret. Could a mysterious letter provide Gwyn the leverage she desires? Will it only bring more family division? Or, maybe, the past was never meant to stay buried after all. Whispering Through Water navigates family dynamics, young love, and female autonomy with a little 1990s nostalgia.

J: What are you currently working on?

R: I always intended for a trio of yoga picture books. Two down and one to go. I wrote a draft of the third book, and this time, Grandma is doing some backyard yoga!

I also completed the draft of a second contemporary YA novel, and it’s off to a critique at an SCBWI retreat!

J: What advice would you give someone who wanted to write children’s and/or YA books?

R: I’m a firm believer of “write what you know”, particularly if you find yourself stuck. Writing from your own experience and emotional truth will help you discover your unique voice. A funny line your child says or an impactful experience you had as a teen, might just be the springboard for your book. 

J: What are five things people may not know about you?

R:

The summer after my junior year of college I worked as a camp cook.

My first “grown up” job was teaching summer school language arts at my hometown elementary school.

I do not like the taste of Nutella.

I took piano lessons for 10 years as a kid.

I collect Alice in Wonderland memorabilia. 

J: What do you like to do in your spare-time?

R: I enjoy gardening, baking, and researching where I want to travel next!

J: What are some of the books on your must read list?

R: The following books were a powerful force at different points in my life. The one poet I’ll reread for life is Denise Levertov. 

Evening Train (poetry collection) by Denise Levertov

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

A Death in the Family by James Agee

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