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Eva Mendes debuted as an author, and the community should be proud she did. The beloved actress, businesswoman, wife, and mami of two presented "Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries" on September 17, 2024, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, that shares a heartwarming —and relatable story — about one of the most overlooked emotions in the Latino culture.
The beautifully illustrated and written book is available in hardcover in Spanish and English, ensuring accessibility for bilingual families who want to enjoy this memorable read together.
© Getty ImagesWith stunning illustrations by Abbey Bryant, "Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries" captures the beauty of family bonding during bedtime routines. Through the story of a mother and daughter dealing with nighttime anxieties, Mendes hopes to connect with parents and children. Inspired by her experiences as a mother, Mendes has created a book that speaks to the universal challenge of soothing a child's worries before bed.
In an emotional interview with HOLA! USA, Mendes described the project as profoundly personal. "Desi, Mami & the Never-Ending Worries is a love letter to my kids and yours," she said. The actress explained how the book touches on parents' struggles when dealing with their children's fears, aiming to provide guidance and comfort through storytelling.
Mendes' focus on mental wellness for children sets her book apart. Drawing from her family's bedtime routine, she emphasizes the importance of addressing kids' anxieties and teaching them to manage their "never-ending worries."
The celebrated Cuban-American actress and businesswoman crafted a heartfelt narrative that can be familiar to every parent. Mendes speaks candidly about her inspiration, highlighting the importance of addressing worries and anxieties: "I love reading to my kids at nighttime. It doesn't matter what it is. I love a picture book and to connect, it's just to connect with them. So I when I decided I was going to write something about anxiety, these negative thoughts that we have. Brains, they're like frenemies to me; my brain is my frenemy, One day it could be feeding me all these great things. The next moment don't," she told HOLA! USA.
© Getty ImagesFor the first time, Eva revealed details of how her eldest daughter began understanding how her brain could trick her and make her feel dread over anticipated events. "My daughter Esmeralda, who is ten, when she was five years old, came up to me and Ryan [Gosling], and she said, 'Mama, Dada, I named my brain.' And I said, 'What?' And she said, 'I named my brain,'" Eva said.
"She doesn't want me to say the name of the brain. She said, I could say the story but not the name, she is very private. I wonder where she gets it," she jokes.
A Creative Process Fueled by Love
Mendes' journey to creating "Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries" was deeply personal. Abbey Bryant's illustrations, which reflect the warm, magical, and lively atmosphere that Mendes envisioned, were hand-selected by the actress to bring the character Desi to life, ensuring the book's visuals matched its heartfelt message.
© Getty ImagesStorytime is an essential part of Mendes' family bedtime routine, and she believes it is key to fostering bonding time and promoting language development in children. Through this book, Mendes hopes to encourage more families to make storytime a cherished part of their daily lives.
Addressing Worries and Promoting Mental Wellness
A unique feature of the book is Mendes' focus on mental wellness for young children. Mendes emphasizes the importance of managing nighttime anxieties and suggests strategies families can incorporate.
Mendes detailed how Esmeralda has been impacted by anxiety. "She has a lot of anxiety like me. She's a nail-biter. A lot of things I had when I was little, a lot of things I still have. But when she would get into a negative thought and spiral, I would say, 'Hey, hey, this isn't you. This is your brain. So right now, it's being a bully to you. I don't like that. I don't like anyone being a bully. So what are we going to do about this?' And then that has helped."
Eva has a saying that can resonate with everyone. "I realized that would help us kind of take a step back and go, 'Okay, just because I think it doesn't mean it's true.' That's like a thing I say all the time to the girls, just because you think it doesn't mean it's true."
"Just because I think it doesn't mean it's true."
Mendes knows the impact of words; therefore, reassurance is a tool she practices daily. "But then I'm realizing I'm using these little things that's helping my family, my girls get through it, get through these times. And I wanted to share it. I wanted to share it. And it happened organically, but part of me was like, 'Do we really need another actress with a kids book,'" the author explained. "But maybe that was my brain trying to tell me some stuff."
"Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries" speaks to children and adults who worry endlessly or those who have loved ones who do. Whether it's a fear of the monster under the bed or the "monster in their head," Mendes' book provides gentle guidance through the loving interactions between mother and daughter.
How does Eva Mendes deal with all the things that make her anxious, especially as a mother
Eva told HOLA! USA anxiety can manifest in various ways. She experienced anxiety as a child but noticed an increase after becoming a mother. "It took so long for me to relax a little bit after [giving birth], but I remember that I had one baby after another; I remember it so viscerally, like, I would spend nights just staring at them and going, like, 'Oh, my God, what if something happens to me?' And it's that spiral," she said. "But I think so much of that is also what we're going through hormonally."
Eva said that in her quest to discover what was happening to her during that period, she began learning about matrescence, a term she had not heard of before. "I started looking stuff up because after I had my babies, I was like, This is so overwhelming, these feelings. So it didn't feel like I was depressed; I was anxious. There's this wonderful word called matresonance, and it's basically the process of a woman becoming a mother. And I was like, 'Why don't we know this word in society, and why don't we talk about this?" she questioned. "I personally feel like our society doesn't value parenthood, and specifically motherhood, parenthood, it doesn't value it the way it should. There's not enough value placed on it."
"Why do we value a famous actor more than we would value a mother?"
"That, to me, is the craziest thing in the world. We are doing the most important jobs of the world. We are raising the future, and we're doing it a lot of times at our expense, so much is involved, our mental wellness, our everything," Mendes told HOLA! USA.
A Commitment to Cultural Representation
As a proud Cuban American, Mendes wanted to make "Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries" accessible to a diverse audience. This dedication is reflected in the book's dual-language release, available in both English and Spanish. Mendes' commitment to bilingual publishing ensures that families from a variety of cultural backgrounds can enjoy the story, reinforcing the book's universal appeal. This inclusivity makes it an essential addition to the bookshelves of multicultural and bilingual households.
© MacMillanWhether you're a parent looking for a way to address your child's anxieties or simply seeking a beautiful, timeless story to share with your little ones, "Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries" is the perfect addition to your bedtime reading lineup.
"I just want to invite the HOLA! readers to whether they read my book or not, to please have these important conversations with their families about anxiety and what worries them. I can only speak for my Latin family and my very Cuban family; we didn't talk about much when I was little," she reveals. "The kids in my family weren't really respected. We weren't asked, 'What do you think of this subject.' So I would hope that this new generation of parents just invite their children to have more conversations about their feelings, because kids do have a lot of anxiety and a lot to say, and we need to value that," Eva Mendes concluded.
