A book about China won the only gold award of the American picture book "Oscar"

Watercress

This is a heartwarming picture book written by Andrea Wang

As a second-generation American immigrant girl

With her family as the protagonist

A story of family, tradition and understanding

This book is worth savoring

It not only shows the emotional connection between the family

Conveys an important message of cultural inheritance and acceptance

Its a true and heartwarming story

Like a warm current

Slowly flowing into the heart of every reader.

…

DITCH

The story begins with an ordinary family weekend:

The paint-chipped red Pontiac driving on a country road is also the author's way of hinting that her family is not wealthy.

Suddenly! The girl's parents found a lot of watercress growing in the roadside ditch!

So we mobilized the whole family to get off the car, take off their shoes and socks, and go into the canal to pick the fruits.

Cold canal water

Wet, soft mud

A kraft paper bag soaked in water that could leak at any time

and muddy watercress

It makes the little girl feel uncomfortable and bored

She would also bow her head deeply when a car passed by.

She was afraid of being seen by someone she knew.

After returning home, the mother cooked the food for dinner, but the girl refused to eat it. She only ate vegetables bought from the vegetable store...

MEMORY

But my mother took out an old yellowed photo

There was also a boy with sunken cheeks and as thin as a watercress.

This boy is my mother's younger brother.

The boy is the girl's uncle

This boy never got a chance to grow up

......

During the great famine, even if you ate everything you could find, it was still not enough to fill your stomach .

As her mother told her story, the girl gradually understood what the watercress meant to her family. These water plants were not only a food, but also an important symbol of her family's background and traditions .

MEMORY

Through the girl's eyes, readers see a warm and real family picture.

Their lives may not be rich, but they are full of love and tolerance. The girl's parents taught her important lessons about life and made her understand that her cultural roots are something to be proud of and cherish .

Watercress is not just a story about food and culture, it is also about understanding and communication between family members. When the girl begins to understand her parents' hard work and cherishment of family traditions, her heart opens up and she becomes more closely connected with her family.

The illustrations in this book are also one of its charms. The illustrator Jason Chin uses delicate lines and colors to vividly present the scenes and emotions in the story, making the readers feel as if they are in the story.

Watercress is a book that is not only suitable for children to read, but also suitable for adults to share. Its warm storyline and profound themes make people feel the importance of family and culture , and prompt readers to think and reflect on their own families and traditions.

This picture book succinctly and profoundly depicts the inevitable estrangement and generation gap between first-generation immigrant parents and second-generation immigrant children , but at the same time tells readers that the warmth of family affection and national ties can resolve conflicts.

As the only gold medal winner of the 2022 Caldecott Medal, "Watercress" is a rare and excellent picture book that is worth reading.