Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Watercress

Watercress

Wang, Andrea
Chin, Jason

Hardcover

General Juvenile Fiction

Publisher Price: $19.99

ISBN10: 0823446247
ISBN13: 9780823446247
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Published: Mar 30 2021
Pages: 32
Weight: 0.94
Height: 0.50 Width: 11.30 Depth: 8.80
Language: English
Awards: Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal
Caldecott Medal Winner
Newbery Honor Book
APALA Award Winner

A story about the power of sharing memories--including the painful ones--and the way our heritage stays with and shapes us, even when we don't see it.

While driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's Chinese immigrant parents spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. They stop the car, grabbing rusty scissors and an old paper bag, and the whole family wades into the mud to gather as much as they can.

At first, she's embarrassed. Why can't her family just get food from the grocery store, like everyone else? But when her mother shares a bittersweet story of her family history in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged--and the memories left behind in pursuit of a new life.

Together, they make a new memory of watercress.

Author Andrea Wang calls this moving, autobiographical story both an apology and a love letter to my parents. It's a bittersweet, delicate look at how sharing the difficult parts of our histories can create powerful new moments of family history, and help connect us to our roots.

Jason Chin's illustrations move between China and the American Midwest and were created with a mixture of traditional Chinese brushes and western media. The dreamy, nostalgic color palette brings this beautiful story to life.

An endnote from the author describes her personal connection to the story, and an illustrator's note touches on both the process of the painting, and the emotional meaning brought to the work.

New England Book Award Winner

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