Watercress (2022)

Winner of the 2022 Caldecott Medal and #1 New York Times Bestseller

Andrea Wang tells a moving autobiographical story of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage, illustrated by award winning author and artist Jason Chin, working in an entirely new style, inspired by Chinese painting techniques. A young girl is with her parents and brother when they suddenly stop the car in the country. Her parents have spotted watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. The whole family wades into the muck to collect as much of the muddy, snail covered watercress as they can. The girl is embarrassed to be seen by passing cars and disgusted by the mud and snails that are on the plants. Not until the mother shares a story of her family's time in China does the girl learn to appreciate the fresh food they foraged. An author's note in the back shares Andrea's childhood experience with her parents.