Watercress

Summary of 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.

Author Biography

Andrea Wang writes picture books and middle grade novels. Her debut picture book, The Nian Monster, is an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book. Her second picture book, Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando, is a Junior Library Guild Selection and received a starred review from School Library Journal. She loves to travel and sample new and unusual foods. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of her writing is about food. She has also written seven non-fiction titles for the library and school market. 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 and their dog, Mochi, named for the sticky rice dessert.

Illustrator Biography

Jason Chin is the author and illustrator of numerous award winning picture books. His newest book is WATERCRESS by Andrea Wang, which has garnered six starred reviews with the Publishers Weekly calling it "An adept gem of a picture book." His latest authored title, YOUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE, was a 2020 Horn Book Fanfare title.