Watercress by Andrea Wang

Watercress by Andrea Wang

Illustrations by Jason Chin

Pre-K thru 6th grade – Caldecott or Newberry Medal category – Children’s Picture Book

Genre or category

Children’s Picture

Asian Culture/Heritage

Asian American

Target Age Group

Ages 0 - 8

Pre-K – 3rd grade

Lexile Level: 610 according to NoveList (EBSCOhost, 2021)

Summary

A young girl and her family are picking watercress on the side of a rural road. Embarrassed by her family and unaware of the importance of the food on the table, this young girl is humbled by her mother and embraces her family and cultural dishes after learning the importance of this plant.

Justification

Watercress is cataloged and shelved as a children’s Picture Book at my local public library and is the 2022 Caldecott Medal award winner (Tulsa City-County Library, n.d.; EBSCOhost, 2021). This story is also autobiographic as the author’s own experiences in rural Ohio as a girl inspired the creation of this story and has received several awards and recognitions, including the Newberry Honor Award, Asian/Pacific Islander Award for Literature and the Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award in 2022 (andreawang.com). The illustrator of this story, Jason Chin, is also an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s picture books (The Author Village, n.d.).

Evaluation

For this review, I will be evaluating illustrations, point of view, and mood.

Jason Chin did a wonderful job providing the artwork for Watercress with hues of the predominant blues and yellows that are soft, and gentle linework that don’t draw attention away from the skillfully crafted scenes. This artwork truly did invoke a feeling of looking into one’s memory, almost dreamlike. While few words in this picture book directly voice feelings of upset and embarrassment, the facial expressions that Jason Chin provided did justice to the insinuated tone that Andrea Wang was invoking. You can feel the serenity from the scene, but you can also see the dissonance in the expressions of the young girl. The artwork crafted by Jason Chin to further tell Andrea Wang’s story was both beautiful and sad. I noticed the author’s and illustrator’s notes at the end of this book shortly before finishing this review, and came across this section when looking at Jason Chin’s note which directly aligned with the thoughts and feelings I was already experiencing while turning the pages of Watercress:

“I wanted the art to reflect the American and Chinese heritage of the characters. I chose to paint in watercolor because it’s common in Chinese and western art and I used both Chinese and western brushes. The color palette is heavy in yellow ochre, which reminds of old photographs…, and cerulean blue, which is similar to the blue often used in Chinese paintings…This technique seemed appropriate for implying memory, so I included many soft washes throughout the book.”

I enjoy writing about character point of view as I believe that a well-written point of view, or many, can strengthen a story. In the case of Watercress, we see a young girl who is embarrassed by the task her parents have charged her with and the eventual resolution to this young girl's “problem”. I can confidently say that we have all been mortified by something our parents did or had us do, and it can be said that young children of immigrant parents may also see this character as relatable due to her story. Andrea Wang put herself, and children like her, into this narrative to give a voice to those who may be experiencing these discordant feelings with their culture and societal expectations here in the States or elsewhere. The voice of Watercress is calling for children to be understanding and patient with their parents, especially when they are very different from the other parent’s around you. But it also calls to older adults and parents to be just as patient and understanding with their children, as society can be a very loud influence.

A younger audience may say that this narrative made them feel sad but thankful, but since we are adults, I believe that Andrea Wang was trying to convey an atmosphere of melancholy and thoughtfulness. Watercress tells a story that we can all relate to on some level: sometimes we are ashamed of our parents and their actions or stories, this is a concept that even young children can understand. This young girl was ashamed of her family, but once learning of the importance of this simple vegetable, she was humbled and became thankful. The feeling of sadness that this story evokes allows us to be introspective about our feelings. Being ashamed of one’s family is very sad, and reading Watercress made me want to call my mom and apologize for any hurt I may have brought to her with my embarrassment or shame.

I enjoyed this story, and its illustrations, immensely and gave it 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. It can be a great tool for children in a new environment, even if it isn’t as shocking as different cultures in a foreign country. As a military kid, I moved from Southern California to the Bible Belt in Louisiana. I went from skater lingo and punk rock music to Sunday school and worship music, and a very thick southern drawl all around me. While I can’t even comprehend how young children with vastly different cultures may feel, Watercress gives us a great insight into the potential feelings they may harbor and provides a wonderful starting point to help children embrace their family’s past and look to the future.

“This story is both an apology and a love letter to my parents. It’s also an encouragement to all children who feel different and to families with difficult pasts – share your memories. Tell your stories. They are essential” – Andrea Wang, Author’s Note

 

References and other helpful resources

EBSCOhost. (2021). Watercress [J. Chin, Illus.]. NoveList Plus. https://search-ebscohost-com.db.tulsalibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=10947582&site=novp-live

Goodreads. (n.d.). Watercress (J. Chin, Illus.). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54502238-watercress?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=tCGepz3W46&rank=1

The Author Village. (n.d.). Jason Chin. https://theauthorvillage.com/presenters/jason-chin/

Tulsa City-County Library. (n.d.). Watercress [J. Chin, Illus.]. Catalog. https://tccl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S63C5514188

Wang, A. (2021). Watercress [J. Chin, Illus.]. Neal Porter Books.

Watercress. (n.d.). Andreawang.com. Retrieved April 17, 2024, from https://andreaywang.com/books/picture-books/watercress/