Tumble

by Adriana Hernández Bergstrom, Adriana Hernández Bergstrom (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338828665
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	06/06/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	991,444
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/24/2023

“Wind blows...// Tumble goes,” writes Hernández Bergstrom, rhythmically tracing the life cycle of tumbleweeds while introducing readers to desert flora and fauna. Rough-edged renderings have a stamped quality as they picture the spiky ball-like plant as it “hops,” “pops,” and “blooms” into delicate mauve flowers before the whole cycle begins anew. Along the way, the plant passes baby javelina, burrowing owls, and a roadrunner, among other life forms—until “Cactus waves” and “Tumble stays,” stuck to its spines. When a nighttime thunderstorm arrives, the tumbleweed sphere greens, unfurls, and blooms, becoming a stopping point for insects, until a glowing golden sun dries it up just in time for the wind to blow again. Simple prose and spare scenes successfully convey desert ecology through the experiences of the humble “tumble.” Back matter includes facts and identifies species spottable throughout. Ages 4–6. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Tumble:

"What a journey this is. While the text is simple...the life forms that the plant encounters are complex. ...Deceptively simple yet wondrous."—Kirkus, starred review

"Simple prose and spare scenes successfully convey desert ecology through the experiences of a humble 'tumble.'" —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Bergstrom's story is told in short, rhyming couplets paired with rich, earthy illustrations. ...Dusted with a hint of whimsy, this playful primer on desert life is perfect for all libraries."—School Library Journey, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 09/29/2023

PreS-Gr 1—"Wind blows/ Tumble goes." Drifting with the desert wind, a lone tumbleweed introduces the plants and animals living in an arid terrain. A collared lizard soaks up the rays of a sultry sun, a roadrunner struts across a desolate highway, and burrowing owls emerge from ground nests. The tumbleweed freely rolls until it is entangled with a prickly pear cactus. Rain drops begin to fall, the tumbleweed anchors its roots, and pinhead-sized pink flowers bloom. Soon the scorching sun beats down on the tumbleweed and the plant dries, curling until the its roots snap and it is once again wandering through the desert. Mirroring the cyclical life of the tumbleweed, the story ends as it begins. Bergstrom's story is told in short, rhyming couplets paired with rich, earthy illustrations. Movement is a prominent theme in this story, evident by wisps of blowing wind and bouncing dashed lines trailing the tumbleweed. This dynamism is emulated through the text's font; ellipses curl up as the wind blows, letters hop when the tumbleweed bounces, words waver in the wind as a cactus sways. Back matter contains a visual index of the desert life seen throughout the story, challenging readers to a game of look-and-find. A section of satisfying facts about tumbleweeds is provided for the questions curious minds are likely to have about this nomadic plant. VERDICT Dusted with a hint of whimsy, this playful primer on desert life is perfect for all libraries.—Emily Brush

School Library Journal

★ 2023-04-12
Follow the journey of a tumbling tumbleweed.

In this picture book, lilting—or, more accurately, tumbling—rhyming couplets help readers bounce along with a tumbleweed as, over a period of unspecified time, winds roll it across the shifting terrains of dusty desert sands. What a journey this is. While the text is simple, with usually one couplet or simple phrase appearing on a page, the life forms that the plant encounters are complex. The tumbleweed and readers meet with a marvelous display of biodiversity—other plants and animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects—that proves that a desert bursts with life and myriad wonders. In the course of its travels over day into night and from sunshine into a thunderstorm, the tumbleweed comes into bloom, then travels onward: “Wind blows…Tumble goes and goes and goes.” Who knows where? Readers will have already learned from the gentle text that the possibilities are probably endless. Adults sharing this charming book about a little-known plant and its environs should encourage children to suggest—perhaps with simple rhymes—or illustrate what else the tumbleweed might meet as the wind rolls it across a desert. The many changes in colors in the illustrations suggest the desert’s vitality; dotted lines track the tumbleweed’s path and rotating movements. Some pages are wordless, allowing readers to focus on the evocative natural scenes and up-close views of wildlife. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Deceptively simple yet wondrous. (can you spot the plants and animals? fun facts about tumbleweeds) (Informational picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews