Q&A with Carin Berger

  

 

 

 

 

Carin Berger is the author and illustrator of the new children's picture book Sofia's Journey: A Migration Story. Her many other books include In the Night Garden. She lives in New York City and the Hudson Valley.  

 

Q: What inspired you to create Sofia’s Journey, and how did you create your character Sofia?

 

A: I have a deep connection to the immigrant experience, as both of my maternal grandparents, to whom I was especially close, separately fled Nazi Germany. Their stories of uprooting and immigration, of fear, bravery, hope, and renewal were a vivid thread in my childhood and were foundational to my sense of self.

 

Also, as immigration has become such a charged issue, I feel it is important to remember that each and every family here in the United States have their own story of immigrating and having to start again. Right now, within our country, there is a lot of upheaval, where children experience being uprooted and the uncertainty that that brings.

 

This book is purposely not located and is open-ended, leaving room for anyone with a connection to change or dislocation to relate to it.

 

After much research, I chose Sofia’s name, which comes from the ancient Greek word for wisdom. The spelling that I chose seemed fitting, as it appears in many European, Romance, Scandinavian, and Slavic cultures. It is also fairly common in Mexico, and Central and South America. There is even a version in the Middle East.

 

Q: How did you create the illustrations for this book?

 

A: The illustrations in Sofia’s Journey are a combination of collage, drawing and pochoir, which is a form of stenciling. I use a lot of ephemera in my work, and I am drawn to it because each piece carries a history and story. I love that.

 

Q: The Horn Book review of the book says, “Berger adeptly uses cloud formations to convey Sofia’s experience of displacement, crafting a sky that indicates fear, hope, patience, and, at last, safety.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I deeply appreciated the Horn Book’s description. Creating the clouds was surprisingly challenging, and I did many many many iterations before finally solving how to illustrate them.

 

The primary difficulty came from trying to convey various moods and to allow for pareidolia, while simultaneously keeping the dove and other images within the clouds both present yet not obvious.

 

I also worked carefully to create a color palette that helped to convey the arc of Sofia’s Journey and the mood of the story, from ominous to hopeful.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: I hope that readers can relate to the longing for home and belonging that many of us experience. I would love it if Sofia’s Journey helps to create space for conversations about upheaval and courage, and about how the core of who we are remains with us despite change. If it fosters empathy and kindness and openness to others, that would make me very happy.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working on a book, Stop Spot, that was inspired by a David Hockney painting. It is the painting of a swimming pool where you see a giant splash, but not what has caused it. There was so much story packed into that one image, and it was a leaping off point.

 

The book follows a puppy’s rambunctious romp through a garden and house with a child chasing behind. But mostly what the reader sees is the wreckage left with a peak at a tail or a trailing leash or the child’s hand reaching to catch the runaway pup. There is very little text but a lot of visual storytelling.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I am so excited about Sofia’s Journey, and I hope that it eases transitions for children everywhere.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Carin Berger.