“Watercress”
By Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin.
Holiday House, New York, 2021, 32 pages, Grades 1-3.
Family memories inform children about their historical past. As with life, some of the memories are pleasant and others are not. Immigrants often have conflicting memories of their homeland. There is love of the older country mixed in with the pain involved in their immigration.
In American history, this is quite true with an additional element. The children of the immigrating family are sometimes embarrassed about the customs and ideas of their parents and grandparents. This makes the children of immigrants feel odd at times and uneasy when their elders act like they did in the homeland. Andre Wang captures many of these thoughts and feelings in this honest, yet tender, picture book. In “Watercress,” we see a first generation Chinese-American girl coping with all of these issues.
Sitting in the back seat of her family’s old Pontiac, the child wears a “Play Ball” tee shirt. As the car rumbles down the road, her mother and father both suddenly call out: “Watercress!”
Quickly stopping, the parents jubilantly point to the watery ditch filled with watercress plants. Telling the children to get out, they give the girl and her brother brown bags to collect the watercress leaves in the ditch. The parents can’t believe their good luck. All you have to do is walk through ankle deep water and mud and cut off the tops of the shrubs. It is free!
The two children are aghast at their parents eagerly harvesting in the ditch water. Both take their shoes off and enter the ditch. The mud squishes between their toes, and the girl is completely embarrassed. What Americans get their food from a watery ditch? Her one hope is that no one sees them.
That night, the mother prepares the watercress for supper. The girl looks at the green mass and refuses to eat. Neither parent really understands her reluctance to eat this treat. Her mother goes into the parents’ bedroom and returns with a yellowing family picture from her days in China. She tells the children about the family’s history. It is a story of love and pain and the importance of watercress in the family. After hearing this, the child looks at the steaming green bowl of watercress. What does she do?
Why is watercress so important in the family’s history? What does the girl think about the Chinese customs of her parents? How do these customs and attitudes cause her embarrassment at school? What is the relationship of the past and the present? Can people live and benefit from two cultures? Does the child finally eat the watercress? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out “Watercress” by Andre Wang.
“Watercress” won the 2022 Caldecott Medal for distinguished art. This book should be approached on many different levels. First, we have the story of the car trip and the collection of watercress. Second, we learn the historical importance of watercress in their family life in China. Third, we have the cultural confusion of the children as they watch their parents not understanding and blending into American culture. Finally, we see the girl learning about her family’s history and trying to integrate it into her life.
The illustrations in the book are beautiful and draw readers into the book. The more you read the book, the more you will understand and appreciate the story. The book is poignant. This book would be a great read-a-loud in the primary grades. It teaches compassion, understanding and the value of family love. Highly recommended.
