Watercress

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

A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book

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.

A New England Book Award Finalist
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

Author: Andrea Wang
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Published: 03/30/2021
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.90h x 11.20w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780823446247
Audience: Ages 4-8

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 12/01/2020 pg. 57
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2021
School Library Journal 02/01/2021 pg. 63
Publishers Weekly 02/08/2021
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2021 - Book Of Special Distinction
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2021 pg. 76
Shelf Awareness 04/09/2021

About the Author
Andrea Wang is the award-winning author of The Nian Monster and Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando. She was inspired to write Watercress by her experience growing up in rural Ohio as a child of Chinese immigrants. Andrea holds an M.S. in Environmental Science and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing for Young People. She lives in Colorado with her family.

Jason Chin is a celebrated author and illustrator of children's books. His book Grand Canyon was awarded a Caldecott Honor, a Sibert Honor, and the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award. He is the author and illustrator of Your Place in the Universe, which Kirkus called A stimulating outing to the furthest reaches of our knowledge, as well as other acclaimed nonfiction titles--Coral Reefs, Redwoods, Gravity, and Island: A Story of the Galapagos-- which have received numerous starred reviews and other accolades. He is also the illustrator of Stephanie Parsley Ledyard's debut title Pie Is for Sharing and Miranda Paul's Water is Water and Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born, the latter, a Boston Horn Globe Honor Book. He lives in Vermont with his wife and children.