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Caldecott Medal Winner ’22
Newbery Honor Winner ’22
APALA Picture Book Award ’22

“Wang’s moving poetry paired with—and precisely laid out on—Chin’s masterfully detailed illustrations capture both an authentic Midwestern American landscape and a very Chinese American family, together infusing a single event with multiple layers laden with emotion, memory, and significance. Understated, deep, and heart-rending—bring tissues.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Watercress

Written by Andrea Wang
Illustrated by Jason Chin
Published by Holiday House

Winner of the 2022 I’m Your Neighbor New Generation Book Award

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.

Primary ISBN: 9780823446247
Available As: Hardcover
Picture , Age 05 and older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Ohio)

Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: 1st Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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