Encapsulating the Breadth of Sentiment: Q&A with Ismée Williams About Abuelo, the Sea, and Me

A pediatric cardiologist in the Bronx writes three young adult novels. Sounds like the set-up for a romantic comedy, does it not? But in the case of Ismée Williams, it’s nothing but the truth. The co-founder of the 501(c)(3) Latinx Kidlit Book Festival has written YA books like This Train Is Being Held and shows no signs of stopping. No surprises there. What is surprising is Ms. Williams’ next move. As of yesterday, she has released her very first picture book. Abuelo, the Sea, and Me is the story of one granddaughter discovering that her grandfather had a whole past and life long before she was ever born.

Here’s the description:

“When this grandchild visits her abuelo, he takes her to the ocean. In summer, they kick off their shoes and let the cool waves tickle their toes. In winter, they stand on the cliff and let the sea spray prick their noses and cheeks. No matter the season, hot or cold, their favorite place to spend time together is the beach.

It’s here that Abuelo is able to open up about his youth in Havana, Cuba. As they walk along the sand, he recalls the tastes, sounds, and smells of his childhood. And with his words, Cuba comes alive for his grandchild.”

Aw, heck. Let’s make a day of it! Let’s interview Ismée to find out more:

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Betsy Bird: Ismée! Thank you so much for talking with me today! You’ve written three young adult novels in the past but this is definitely your first picture book foray. What was the particular impetus to go this route and with this specific story?

Ismée Williams: Thank you for the question, Betsy, and thank you for having me on this fantastic blog! I love learning about new books and authors and am so honored and grateful to be here! Thank you for all the work you do to keep our book-loving community flush with excitement and fresh stories!

I started experimenting with the idea of picture books after finishing my second YA novel, This Train is Being Held, which features poems written by the male protagonist, Alex. I’d never thought of myself as a poet, but I had fun writing Alex’s poems. A lot of fun. And then I was talking with a writer friend of mine–one of the other co-founders of the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival, Mayra Cuevas–who mentioned that writing a picture book is like writing a poem. So I started to play around, using my own childhood, and my own grandfather, as inspiration. Abuelo, the Sea, and Me was the result!

Betsy Bird: I know that the difference between writing for teens and for young children lies in using an entirely new set of writing muscles. What was the process like for you? And what was your editor’s input on the final product?

Ismée: I love that analogy of different writing muscles! First of all, I had to learn ‘the rules’ of writing a picture book. I downloaded Darcy Pattison’s book, How to Write a Children’s Picture Book, onto the Kindle app on my phone and read it on my subway commute! Having a framework, such as the 32-page structure, was incredibly helpful. Then, I raided my kids’ bookshelves. My babies are all in their teens now, *sniff, sniff* (I miss the littles!) – but we still have a treasure trove of favorites. I reread everything that was similar in tone to what I was hoping to create. I also joined a picture book critique group with other Las Musas writers. I love feedback and connecting with and helping other writers, so that was invaluable. I have to say, I’ve loved working with my lead editor, Nicolás Ore-Giron, as well as with Connie Hsu at Roaring Brook. Nico said the story reminded him of his own father, who immigrated from Peru, and that the writing was layered, moving, and emotional, which was basically everything I was aiming for! The suggested edits tightened the story and made the end result even more powerful. 

BB: I find the sheer variety between different kinds of picture books featuring grandparents to be interesting. There are some pretty pablum-heavy titles out there where it’s just a celebration of grandparents in general, and then there are books like yours that dare to put a little weight and depth into the narrative. Your book in particular manages to tread the delicate line between happy and sad in such an interesting way. What guides did you use when you were trying to figure out how to strike this balance? How did you manage to get the tone just right?

Ismée: Wow! Thank you so much for this compliment! My goal with all my stories is to write something that is culturally specific but speaks to the shared human experience. I want the reader who grew up in a different place surrounded by different traditions to read my stories and say, yes, I’ve felt that, too. I like to think that literature can strip away all our differences and bring people together. My other writing goal is to bring the emotion–to make the reader FEEL. It’s one of the superpowers of books and what drew me to become an author. My intent with Abuelo, the Sea, and Me was to tug at the heart while also enveloping the reader in a warm, reassuring hug, given this is a book to be read to small children at bedtime! I had to make the little girl in the story walk through these same emotions, to have her eyes opened to her grandfather’s loss while also rejoicing and taking comfort in the blessings of his new life. Mentor texts were helpful as I was tackling this balance. I love picture books that make me cry happy tears! Margarita Engle, Yuyi Morales, and Meg Medina are some of the greats I seek to emulate.

BB: Did you always envision this book to be similar to its final product? Were any significant changes made along the way or is it pretty much how you saw it from the beginning?

Ismée: Abuelo, the Sea, and Me actually started as a story of a little girl listening to her abuelo’s bedtime fables–which is the other strong memory I have of my abuelo. He was twelve years older than my abuela, so when I would visit, she would put us to bed at the same time! But my grandfather would keep both of us awake with silly stories of Pulgarcito (Tom Thumb) and the Horse of Seven Colors. My grandmother would have to make multiple trips back to the bedroom to scold us and remind us it was time to sleep. After playing around with this premise, I realized it didn’t encapsulate the breadth of sentiment I wanted to bring to the page. This bedtime routine was primarily a positive, funny memory. I shifted to the idea of the ocean and how gazing out at it and walking along its shores together triggered memories that my abuelo shared with me.

BB: Tatiana Gardel is the artist who brings ABUELO, THE SEA, AND ME to life. Were you aware of her work, prior to her being paired with this book? What are your thoughts on the end product?

Ismée: I had not heard of Tatiana before Nico and Connie brought Tatiana’s artwork to my attention! 

Tatiana’s art truly elevates the story and adds additional layers of emotion, heightening the experience of the reader. Years ago, I heard Andrea Betty, of the fantastic Questioneers series that started with Iggy Peck, Architect, speak about how her illustrator, David Roberts, enriched the story with his art and that part of the magic was that they had never connected in person or by phone or email and they were riffing off each other’s creativity. I completely understand that now and believe the same has happened for our book. Like Andrea Betty, I didn’t meet or connect with Tatiana during the creation of Abuelo, the Sea, and Me. BUT, we did run into each other this past February at the annual SCBWI Winter Conference. We were in the same breakout session (marketing your book LOL) and I stood to ask the speaker a question. Tatiana, who was sitting in the front, recognized me and started waving. At first, I kept looking over my shoulder, wondering if she was waving to me! At the break, Tatiana ran over to introduce herself. Turns out, she also lives in NYC. We are planning some book events together! As I mentioned, I am over the moon with Tatiana’s artistic interpretation of Abuelo, the Sea, and Me. Tatiana leaned into the memories of her own grandfather to create these gorgeous illustrations.

BB: You clearly have a knack for picture books. Have you acquired a taste for it? Will we see more from you? Failing that, what else do you have coming out in the future?

Ismée: I love picture books! I am working on other picture book manuscripts and have another picture book coming out with Atheneum in 2026! More generally, I love stories–all types of stories. And I read across genres and age groups. If it makes you feel all the feels, I’m here for it! Anyone reading this, please send any and all titles that deliver on the emotional punch my way! (You can DM me on social or contact me through my website. I’m serious! This is how I keep my TBR list ever-blooming! Besides reading Betsy’s blog, of course!) I’m also toying around with ideas for future novels as well. So stay tuned!

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Now I don’t normally do this, but I figured you folks might like to win something. How do free books AND an author visit sound? Here are the details according to Ismée.

“1 lucky entry (US only) will win a classroom set of books (30 books!) together with a free school visit for your 4-8 yo students, featuring author, Ismée Williams! Visit will be virtual but may be in person if you are within 2 hours driving distance from NYC. Visits will be scheduled for the 2024-2025 school year at a time that is convenient for all parties. GOOD LUCK and thank you for reading!”

Sign up to win here or use the following QR code:

Many thanks to Ismée Williams for taking the time to answer all my questions today. Abuelo, the Sea, and Me is out as of yesterday to take a trip to your local bookstore or library to give it a look!

Filed under: Interviews