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Watercress

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By Andrea Wang
Illustrated by Jason Chin
Holiday House, 2021. Picture book.

On a family car ride somewhere in the American Midwest, a Chinese American girl's parents pull the car over on the side of the road to gather wild watercress. They pull off their shoes, roll up their pants, and wade into a muddy ditch to collect armfuls of the leafy vegetable. As cars drive by and look, the girl is embarrassed by her family. Later, at dinner, she refuses to eat any of the garlicky vegetable -- she doesn't understand why her family is so unlike all their neighbors, and she doubles down on the belief that "free is bad." Finally, her mom shares a story from growing up in China that the girl is able to understand the importance of this dish.

Told in flowing free verse, this is a beautiful celebration of finding joy in one's cultural heritage. This story, inspired by the author's own childhood, reveals the distance between first-generation immigrant parents and their children. The understated text is matched by quiet and lovely illustrations from the incomparable Jason Chin. Chin is able to bring life to the sepia-toned China of the past and the vast cornfields of rural America. May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month, and this book is a perfect read to encourage the sharing of family history.
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