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: Chinese/Chinese American
Themes: Award Winner, Award Winner: I'm Your Neighbor Book Awards 2022, Award Winner: Youth Media Awards 2022, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Food, Engagement Tool: Discussion, Engagement Tool: I'm Your Neighbor Books Created, Engagement Tool: Video, Family Relationship: Parents, Generation: 1st, Generational Differences, Immigrant: Education, Recommended: Counterpoint to AAPI Hate, Welcoming Library: Core Picture Books (Current)
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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