Watercress. Andrea Wang. Illustrated by Jason Chin. 2021. 32 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: We are in the old Pontiac, the red paint faded by years of glinting Ohio sun, pelting rain, and biting snow.
Premise/plot: A young girl is embarrassed by her parents--her immigrant parents. How "embarrassing" to have them stop the car, get out, and pick watercress from the ditch! Why couldn't her parents be "normal"? But though she may not "like" picking watercress, and may not exactly "like" the taste of watercress, she comes to a better appreciation of where her parents are coming from and what memories they may have from the past.
My thoughts: I liked this one. I did. This one won the Caldecott Medal in 2022 as well as being a Newbery Honor book. I absolutely loved, loved, loved, loved, LOVED the illustrations. Every single spread was just WOW for me. I loved turning pages and seeing the story unfold. It was a beautiful book. I appreciated the text, but, the text to me wasn't as 'wow'. I do think it's good for sharing if you are looking for books about families, traditions, and food. (Soul Food Sunday was another recent read.) And I do think it is relatable.
© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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