3. Watercress
Watercress

Watercress

by

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Gathering watercress by the side of the road brings a girl closer to her family's Chinese Heritage.

Driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's parents stop suddenly when they spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. Grabbing an old paper bag and some rusty scissors, the whole family wades into the muck to collect as much of the muddy, snail covered watercress as they can.

At first, she's embarrassed. Why can't her family get food from the grocery store? But when her mother shares a story of her family's time in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged. Together, they make a new memory of watercress.

Andrea Wang tells a moving autobiographical story of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage, illustrated by award winning author and artist Jason Chin, working in an entirely new style, inspired by Chinese painting techniques. An author's note in the back shares Andrea's childhood experience with her parents.

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Title:Watercress
Edition Language:English
ISBN:9780823446247
Format Type:

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    Watercress Reviews

  • Debbie

    Author Andrea Wang shares childhood memories of shame and anger which eventually turn to empathy, compassion, and pride in her family's culture and history in this heartfelt picture book. The delicate...

  • Darla

    This book is racking up the awards this week: Caldecott 2022 Winner, Asian/American Award for Literature in the picture book category, and a Newbery 2022 Honor award. I had just checked a copy out of ...

  • Dave Schaafsma

    With the suspension of the Goodreads Choice 2021 Picture Book category, I was of mixed feelings; first, my family yearly rates all the nominees, but we had in recent years been less impressed with the...

  • donna backshall

    "I am ashamed of being ashamed of my family"I can recall growing up, and hating going to KMart with my parents. I was so scared someone would see us "bargain shopping" and assume we were poor. We were...

  • Danielle

    Beautiful. Brims with meaning and emotion. I hope this book spreads and is read far and wide. ...

  • Calista

    Another beautiful story. Jason Chin is the artist and I knew I knew his name. He has done some amazing things and been honored by Caldecott before. The water colors are fantastic here and the artwork ...

  • Abigail

    Chinese-American children's author Andrea Wang, whose previous picture-books include the Chinese New Year's tale The Nian Monster , and the biographical Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando ,...

  • Ms. B

    This heartbreaking story about a young girl who is embarrassed by her mother feels like a 2022 Caldecott contender. Solid story and lovely illustrations.If you are looking for a story about empathy or...

  • Rod Brown

    A brief and beautiful illustration of the generational gap that can occur in feelings about cultural traditions and assimilation for immigrants and their children.I did feel weird that it tangentially...

  • Agn?

    Watercress is a poignant semi-autobiographical picturebook about a timeless tug of war between fitting in and honoring one’s heritage.Andrea Wang's poetic, evocative, touching story is, in her own w...