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A review by jecoats
Watercress by Andrea Wang
5.0
I discovered this picturebook while searching for winners of the Caldecott Medal (which this book was awarded in 2022) on Goodreads. I checked out a physical copy from my local library.
Watercress begins with a family driving down a rural road in Ohio. Along the way, the parents spot a patch of watercress growing along the road, and pull over to harvest the plant. Their young daughter is disgusted by the endeavor, not wanting to wade into the muddy waters to pick the watercress. She is even more disgusted when later that day the family sits down to eat the freshly picked plant for dinner. However, the young girl refuses to eat. Her mother then tells her about when she was a young girl in China during the great famine, and how her family had to eat what they could forage just to survive. Ashamed, the young girl tries the watercress…
This is a touching, heartwarming story written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin. There is a lot visually to enjoy here - from the beautiful watercolors to the placement of the text. Chin employs a warm color palette, composed of many soft peach, mustard, orange and brown tones, to breathe life into this world. Every scene feels real and lived in, inviting the reader to experience the story beside the family. The text never feels invasive and instead exists in the negative space of the images, such as in the sky or along a dirt road. This composition allows the images to take center stage, with the text simply guiding us through the narrative.
The narrative is simple and direct, based on Wang’s own childhood memories. One of the best aspects about the story is that the themes of the narrative are never spelled out. Instead, Wang trusts that the reader will make inferences from the plot and the images, and come to their own conclusions about the tale. Although the word count varies greatly from page to page, Wang’s language is conservative, making this a pleasurable read for both younger and older readers.
Watercress certainly works as a mirror and sliding glass door. While not all our Asian and Asian American students will have had this exact experience, I think that the authentic nature of Wang’s story will help those students feel represented in the story. I also think the book invites the reader in, especially during the dinner scene. I felt so drawn into those moments, as if I was sitting right at the table with the family. And while Watercress doesn’t reveal a lot about Asian/Asian American culture, it does provide a glimpse into practices and cultures our students may not be familiar with.
Watercress begins with a family driving down a rural road in Ohio. Along the way, the parents spot a patch of watercress growing along the road, and pull over to harvest the plant. Their young daughter is disgusted by the endeavor, not wanting to wade into the muddy waters to pick the watercress. She is even more disgusted when later that day the family sits down to eat the freshly picked plant for dinner. However, the young girl refuses to eat. Her mother then tells her about when she was a young girl in China during the great famine, and how her family had to eat what they could forage just to survive. Ashamed, the young girl tries the watercress…
This is a touching, heartwarming story written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin. There is a lot visually to enjoy here - from the beautiful watercolors to the placement of the text. Chin employs a warm color palette, composed of many soft peach, mustard, orange and brown tones, to breathe life into this world. Every scene feels real and lived in, inviting the reader to experience the story beside the family. The text never feels invasive and instead exists in the negative space of the images, such as in the sky or along a dirt road. This composition allows the images to take center stage, with the text simply guiding us through the narrative.
The narrative is simple and direct, based on Wang’s own childhood memories. One of the best aspects about the story is that the themes of the narrative are never spelled out. Instead, Wang trusts that the reader will make inferences from the plot and the images, and come to their own conclusions about the tale. Although the word count varies greatly from page to page, Wang’s language is conservative, making this a pleasurable read for both younger and older readers.
Watercress certainly works as a mirror and sliding glass door. While not all our Asian and Asian American students will have had this exact experience, I think that the authentic nature of Wang’s story will help those students feel represented in the story. I also think the book invites the reader in, especially during the dinner scene. I felt so drawn into those moments, as if I was sitting right at the table with the family. And while Watercress doesn’t reveal a lot about Asian/Asian American culture, it does provide a glimpse into practices and cultures our students may not be familiar with.