 Join us in celebrating TUMBLE on its book birthday! We sat down with Musa Adriana Hernández Bergstrom to learn all about the inspiration behind this book. But first, a little bit TUMBLE. 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 Hernandez Bergstrom follows one tumbleweed on its journey across a desert unexpectedly teaming 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. What three words would you use to describe your book? Tumbleweed, lifecycle, ecosystem Where did you get the idea to write this particular story? The idea for TUMBLE came from one of my favorite people, my child. He challenged me to a story duel in fact. He chose the word “tumble” and I suspect he already had his story in mind when he brought it up because he quickly started drawing figures jumping and ‘tumbling’ through time portals he explained. But the word association took me somewhere completely different. It brought me back to my time in New Mexico and the first time I’d seen a real life tumbleweed. So I drew a thumbnail dummy and came up with the opening lines pretty much then and there “wind blows, tumble goes” at my mother’s dining table next to my son. Can you share your path to publication for this book? This is one of those stories that came out of my head pretty much fully formed and did not change very much during revision and editing. The longest part was the research portion. Nonfiction’s biggest challenge is reaching your audience where they are and communicating concepts accurately. I think I still have work to do in this regard, and I am always learning. I interviewed a biologist, a tumbleweed expert on salsola tragus (Russian Thistle) and she helped me understand that “tumbleweed” is a generic term! So “tumbleweed” refers to pretty much any plant that dries up and spreads its seed by being blown away and scattering seeds (or spores) while it tumbles along. Which, in turn, meant that not all their life cycles are actually the same! Yikes! What to do. Thinking about my very, very young audience, I tried to keep the concepts simple and clear. After interviewing a Big Bend National Park Ranger as well as other plant biologists nearby, I sent it to my agent. She thought it was going to take a while to sell and softened my already low expectations, but it sold not long after! What message are you hoping that readers will takeaway from this story? My goal with the book was to explore desert landscapes and share the idea that some plants bounce around spreading seeds and then those seeds bloom, dry, and tumble on. This is a way this plant survives. Hopefully I’ve succeeded in that! Fingers crossed. What comes next for you as an author? After TUMBLE’s June release, I have another book coming out in October! Join me for a Nochebuena celebration with COUNTDOWN FOR NOCHEBUENA (Little, Brown, October 4, 2023)!
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