Nadine Fonseca: Latina Children’s Book Author Tells us Her Inspiration

On this Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to highlight our gente Latina, from all different industries and specialties. Today, I want to highlight Nadine Fonseca, a Bay Area native who currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, four kiddos, and a pup. She is a researcher and advocate of human connection and DEI implementation. As a business consultant, she partners with brands to co-design structures, processes, and messaging improvements to ignite and support meaningful, sustainable, and equitable change. She also founded and ran Mighty Kind, an anti-bias/anti-racist education hub for people of all ages (even our little learners) to find resources, support, and community. She is the author of “A Trenza Away.”

What inspired you to write this book?

I have bittersweet memories of my father braiding my hair as a child. It was definitely for more utilitarian reasons and wasn’t always a fun or glamorous routine, but I do recall enjoying the one-on-one time I got with him, which always felt very special. I also wanted to show the tender side of Latino fathers since machismo stereotypes are often portrayed in media representations. I had an opportunity to remember these traditions more magically as an adult writing a story and to show another narrative around Latine biracial families.

What has been the journey from having the idea to materializing it?

It took over a year. I had come from a self-publishing background with my business Mighty Kind, which produced and published a children’s educational magazine every 11 weeks for years, so I was very used to having my hands in all “the things” and running at break-neck speed all the time, This felt very slow in comparison and I learned a lot of lessons on trust and patience working with my lovely publishing team at Shadow Mountain. Working with the illustrator, Camila Carrossin, was tremendously validating as she brought the story to life in ways I had only imagined, but never even articulated to her– we were definitely on the same wavelength. It was so gratifying to share that moment when I finally held a copy in my hands and got to sit down and read it with my kids and our extended family together.

What’s the biggest reward in your journey?

In the grander scheme of things, the greatest reward is knowing that one more story exists representing Latine/Hispanic culture for kids to hopefully connect with, learn from, and enjoy. On a smaller scale, having my kids ask to bring it for show and tell, to their school libraries, etc. because it shows me they are proud of me in their own little way.

What has been your biggest obstacle?

My biggest obstacle has been patience with myself. I still don’t quite consider myself a “writer” as it’s not something I had originally aspired to be in my professional life. I am certainly a storyteller, but squeezing a storyline, emotions, a message (hopefully!), etc. into just a few hundred words for a picture book was an incredibly difficult task for me. I’m so grateful for friends, colleagues, and editors who are far more seasoned than I am who offered much needed criticism during this process.

What is a message that you want people to take away from reading the book?

I hope children feel empowered to trust themselves and be a little bolder and a little braver when life gets challenging. I also want kids (and maybe us adults, too) to remember that loving ourselves now and working toward a better version of ourselves in the future doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive– both love of your imperfections and hope for your growth can coexist. There’s also a bit of a love letter from a parent/caregiver to a child as we watch them navigate their increasing independence reminding them that our physical presence is only a small part of how we will always be there for them so they are never alone.