On tumbleweeds
with Adriana Hernández Bergstrom, author 'Tumble'
#NuevasPáginas is a space that aims to amplify and spotlight Hispanic/Latine/x authors with newly published books. The goal is to connect readers to their next favorite Hispanic/Latine/x authored book through a mini casual get-to-know-the-book-and-author interview. So please help me connect to more readers. So that together we can continue to build the love/support of Latine literature!
Hey Book Franz!
How is the summer reading going?! I hope it’s going well. I’ll keep this intro short and sweet because I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with another author interview!
What is Lupita reading this week?
I wrote about my reading slump last week, and I think admitting to it and coming to terms with it has really helped because I am reading again and enjoying every minute I get to read 🥹
📕 Physical book - I am currently making my way through ‘Vanishing Maps by Cristina García.’ Reading through this one is again reminding me of how powerful Latine storytelling is. How beautiful it is and captivating. ‘Vanishing Maps’ is a follow-up novel that centers on the family/cast of characters from García’s debut novel ‘Dreaming in Cuban.’ Though I haven’t read 'Dreaming in Cuban,’ I feel like I can still easily follow along in this new novel. I do think if I knew the characters, like fans of ‘Dreaming in Cuban’ might, I would be even more excited about it. Still, the narrative voice and storytelling are supreme. Exquisite!
🎧 Audiobook - I have been trying to hide what I am listening to on audio because I don’t want it to speak too much for me lololol. What do you mean by that, you might be thinking? The title of what I am currently slowly listening to is ‘Adult Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers: Quiet the Critical Voice in Your Head, Heal Self-Doubt, and Live the Life You Deserve’ by Stephanie M. Kriesberg. I know that’s a lot to take in. Before you judge me and my mother (lolol), I found this one while looking through the Libby app to see what titles were available to listen to while I waited for my holds to come in. This title stood out to me because of the portion that said, ‘Quiet the Critical Voice in Your Head, Heal Self-Doubt’. I can admit that I need that lololol. It’s been an interesting book, to say the least!
Without further ado, our special guest author for today’s Nuevas Pagina issue is……Adriana Hernández Bergstrom of Tumble!
Could you tell me a bit about where this photo was taken? Is it special to your book in some way?
The photo shows my son and me in New Mexico near Carlsbad Caverns. It’s special because I wrote this book because he challenged me to a story duel on the theme “tumble” at his suggestion. It took me back to visiting the Southwestern states for the first time and seeing desert landscapes and learning that tumbleweeds were, in fact, real! Since my first time in New Mexico back in 2003, I’ve been able to visit several times. This photo is from the last time I was in New Mexico with my family, and we went to one of the wonders of the world, Carlsbad Caverns. There’s a direct connection between my time in West Texas and New Mexico and the fact that this book exists. I wouldn’t have been inspired to write and illustrate TUMBLE without having experienced the beauty of the Southwest for myself!
Tell me about your book without telling me about your book - share any literary inspirations behind your book! If there are none, the gap you wanted to fill in the literary canon with your book
Eric Carle (1929 - 2021) was a huge inspiration to me. His books dominate this category of informational fiction and nonfiction titles for the youngest readers. That said, most of his books feature lush, green places. Okay, every now and again he illustrated a polar bear, but why not focus a book entirely on a desert landscape? I find tumbleweed and desert ecosystems so fascinating, and maybe others will think so too!
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
There’s a loneliness to this book that really struck me, and I didn’t go into it wanting to paint loneliness per se. Perhaps it’s because I wrote it in the height of pandemic isolation, but I wanted to show that even though deserts seem lonely, they are really teeming with life. At first glance we might feel like we’re going through life alone, but we’re never truly alone. I’m not sure the 0 to 5 age group will catch onto this, and hopefully they just enjoy the journey as much as I enjoyed painting it! And I really did love working on this book. I’m very proud of how it turned out.
Tumbleweeds are fascinating and diverse! The term “tumbleweed” is a generic term for many kinds of plants (most unrelated) that dehydrate and are pushed by the wind. In this dried state, they distribute their seeds by tumbling around on land. Also under this same category are fascinating plants called resurrection plants, one which is native to the Chihuahuan desert that rehydrates and resurrects! So the idea that nature is cyclical is important to me. I show mama and baby javelina, and try to show a ‘mama’ tumbleweed and future tumbleweed. So, these wind-blown plants are dispersing their seeds when they’re dead and dried up. That thought was kind of sad, but hopeful because the seeds we leave behind are our legacy, aren’t they?
If a book was home, where would your home be?
Definitely New Mexico or West Texas!
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
Okay, please don’t hate me for this answer, but it would be Ennio Morricone. He’s the Italian composer that created the scores for many Spaghetti Western movies. Yes, it’s cheesy, but that’s who I think of. My (Cuban) grandpa was obsessed with westerns and we watched The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly a lot. Ennio Morricone’s music is the music my brain associated first with the southwest.
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
Full-disclosure, I’m Cuban and truly have no business recommending Tex Mex, Northern Mexican, or New Mexican food because I feel like half the time I cannot consume the level of heat in many of these dishes without crying… like a lot. But, I love the taste of chipotle, mole, corn tortillas, chicken enchilada con crema, and the smell of mesquite, and that’s what I think of when I’m reading this book. I think of Christmas-style enchiladas and the smell of mesquite. I think of the cool horchata I need to help my mouth prepare for the next delicious bite.
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
I had very limited access to literature from my own heritage and culture. We were taught in elementary school about Jose Martí and we memorized “Cultivo una rosa blanca.” But in terms of picture books, I had limited access. The most libros infantiles I got were from my uncle who emigrated from Cuba to Venezuela and he and his ex-wife gave me picture books from Venezuela that I found really hilarious. The illustrations were so loose and larger than life. They were a huge contrast from the prim and proper U.S. books and it clued me in that there was a bigger world out there! Having no preconceived notion of the work I was “supposed” to create based on the past has freed me to create my own path. Though it wasn’t so free at first. First I had to figure out who the heck I was, and what I wanted to say in the context of children’s books
Where can readers keep up with your work?
Thank you to Adriana Hernández Bergstrom for taking the time to chat with me about her book! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) #SupportLatinxLit!
Adriana Hernández Bergstrom is a Cuban American mixed-media illustrator who loves creating charming characters, cheerful paintings, and sweet imagery for kids and kids at heart. She studied industrial design at Rhode Island School of Design and printmaking and theater production at the University of Miami. Adriana loves literacy and languages and speaks English, Spanish, and German. Her debut picture book as author-illustrator, Abuelita and I Make Flan, will be published by Charlesbridge in 2022.
Synopsis for Tumble from the Bookshop website:
This gorgeous, poetic story follows the unexpected journey of a lone tumbleweed making its way across the desert.
Wind blows.
Tumble goes.
Fence stops.
Tumble hops.
Cactus waves.
Tumble stays, and stays, and stays.
Using simple, succinct text and richly colored art, Adriana Hernández Bergstrom follows one tumbleweed on its journey across a desert, unexpectedly teeming with life.
Tumble is an incredible read-aloud perfect for storytime or newly independent readers. Extensive backmatter identifies every plant and animal featured in the book and provides more information on the misunderstood tumbleweed and its ecosystem.
Glad to have found this newsletter!! I just launched a newsletter that features works by creatives from across the Asian diaspora. Do reach out if you might be interested in collaborating. :)