Watercress

This book was extremely poignant. It may not be intended for the youngest of readers. I admit, I read it on my own. But the message was deep. Children from preschool to teenage can have strong feelings about their parents’ behaviors. But what young children don’t often (can’t often) understand is where, in their parents’ history, those behaviors are born out of.

This story takes something as simple as foraging for watercress on the side of the road and examines where, in the narrator’s parents’ history, that behavior comes from. It’s sorrowful, haunting, and hopeful all at the same time.… show more.

I love the very real relationship between a child and her parents who embarrass her by bringing their culture to America. But as the story progresses, she learns about their background and how hardships made them who they are.

I can totally relate to this! This beautiful tale reminds me about appreciating one’s culture, though at first I may not like it so much, it is who I wonderfully am.

In Watercress, Andrea Wang tells a heartfelt story highlighting the importance of appreciating one’s heritage.

She takes what was initially an embarrassing moment from her childhood and gives it a new meaning. Reading this book reminded me of how many of my own childhood memories have inspired my writing career.

This tender, touching autobiographical tale recently won the Caldecott medal for most distinguished picture book of the year and a Newbery honor for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature, but it was a favorite of mine many months before it acquired its much-deserved hardware. Realistic illustrations and poetic text tell the story of a Chinese American girl’s embarrassment, heartbreak, shame, and resilience, all in the space of a day in which she learns a great deal about herself, her family, and her heritage. Straddling cultures and expectations, she opens her heart and mind to the importance of perspective and the… show more.

Watercress is such a quietly beautiful book both in its words and its softly rendered illustrations. It deals with the oh-so-common feeling of being othered and the shame and embarrassment it can cause as an Asian American child who simply wants to fit in. Through the lens of food and its history, this is a story of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage.