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Bergstrom, Adriana Hernández

Tumble

32 pp. | Scholastic/Orchard | June, 2023 | Trade ISBN 9781338828665 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 9781338828672 $11.99
(2) K-3 Propelled by the wind, a dry, brown tumbleweed named Tumble travels across the desert, its journey depicted by a series of dotted lines reminiscent of the bouncing ball following words in a song. Short, direct sentences on each double-page spread describe the action: "Wind blows. / Tumble goes. / Fence stops. / Tumble hops." Full-bleed, bold-hued illustrations mirror the text and add native animals (such as a collared lizard) and plants (a mesquite tree) that appear along the way. "Tumble goes and goes and goes," until a cactus impedes its progress. There, the protagonist stays for several days. Rain falls; Tumble puts down roots, turns green, blooms, and dries out, carrying its seeds as the wind again blows it across the desert. An appended double-page spread identifies the plants and animals, asking youngsters to spot them in the text and subtly reinforcing that reading is an active process. The book concludes with additional facts about tumbleweeds; a diagram of a tumbleweed's life cycle may need adult clarification, since the narrative begins in the middle of the cycle. The book begs for a group read-aloud that allows youngsters to re-create Tumble's hopping, going, stopping, and staying.
Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

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