Tag: China

Watercress by Andrea Wang- a book review

In this post I review “Watercress,” a children’s book by Andrea Wang. It tells the story of a girl who feels embarrassed when her family stops to pick watercress during a drive. Through a meal and her parents’ memories, she gains appreciation for her heritage and family. Illustrated by Jason Chin, it explores cultural identity and belonging. This is a book children and their parents will equally appreciate.

Watercress

(Spanish) Berros

By Andrea Wang

Illustrated by Jason Chin
  • Caldecott Medal Winner, 2022
  • Newbery Honor Book
  • APALA Award Winner

The story

Out for a drive with her parents and brother, a young girl gets irritated when they suddenly stop, pull over, and pile out of the car to pick wild watercress growing in a stream beside the highway.

“Watercress” they (her parents) exclaim, two voices heavy with emotion. 

As they wade in cold, muddy water to pick “weeds”, she hopes no one she knows drives by and sees her. They head home and she grows more resentful after her mother cooks the watercress for them to eat. She doesn’t want to eat “dinner from a ditch.”

But with dinner, comes a photo and a story about her parents’ life in China, before they emigrated to the United States. From the story, the girl finds a new appreciation for her family, and for watercress.

“I take a bite of watercress and it bites back with its spicey peppery taste. It is delicate and slightly bitter, like mom’s memories.”

Watercress

Click here to take a look at Watercress

Andrea Wang -Author

As you may have guessed from her name, Ms. Wang’s family is from China, and this story is autobiographical, as she explains in her author’s note.

“This story is both an apology and a love letter to my parents.”

Andrea Yang

Her work explores culture, creative thinking, and identity. Her debut middle-grade novel, The Many Meanings of Meilan, is also a JLG Gold Standard Selection. She is also the author of seven nonfiction titles for the library and school market. Andrea holds an M.S. in Environmental Science and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing for Young People. She lives in the Denver area with her family. 

other books by Andrea Wang

What’s Great about Georgia?
Learning about Asia (Searchlight Books ™ ― Do You Know the Continents?

Jason Chin-Illustrator

The artist, also the child of Chinese immigrants, wrote in his note

“When I was painting, I drew on my own memories of exclusion, loss, and guilt with the hope that they might seep into the art and add another layer to Andrea’s remarkable story.”

Jason Chin

Caldecott Medalist Jason Chin is the author and illustrator of numerous award-winning picture books. Jason lives in Vermont with his wife, Deirdre Gill, and their two children.

books authored and illustrated by Jason

Gravity
Your Place in the Universe

Why I recommend Watercress

I had never heard of this book when I stumbled upon it in a bookstore. I’m always interested in anything written about watercress, even though despite the title it’s not the topic of this blog. As I perused the pictures and read the story, I was captivated by both the story and the illustrations.

If you come from a family that makes you “different” than the people you live around, you will understand why the young girl in this story dislikes watercress so much. But by learning the reason for her parents’ “voices heavy with emotion” she came to understand that differences are what make us who we are and sharing difficult and painful histories make families who they are and bring us closer together.

The storyline is simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. This is a children’s book recommended for ages 6-9 years, but older children, teens, and adults can enjoy and learn from it.

Mr. Chin explains he used watercolor in both Chinese and Western techniques creating illustrations with soft muted colors and detailed facial expressions that almost appear to be photos. Some details tell a story in themselves- an American flag on a barn on the highway, a framed picture of the parents in China, and the girl’s tee shirt with the word PLAY across the front.

This book touches your mind and heart with a timeless lesson we all need to learn and be reminded of. Like the watercress plant, it is short but nurturing and powerful. Introduce this book to your children and yourself.

Exploring the HEART of Health

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you turn health challenges into health opportunities.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha

Before you leave, check out my post about watercress at this link

Visit Bookshop.org

(an affiliate link)

Bookshop.org is an online bookstore that financially supports local, independent bookstores.

We believe bookstores are essential to a healthy culture and they are dedicated to the common good.

Bookshop.org donates a portion of every sale to independent bookstores.

What doctors want you to know about COVID-19

This post discusses insights on COVID-19 from experienced physicians, including Dr. Laura Jordhen from China, who reports improvements and gradual normalization in the country’s situation. Dr. Francis Collins outlines social distancing measures as essential to curbing the spread, while Dr. Gerard Clancy suggests activities to alleviate stress during isolation.

update February 11, 2025

The CDC website has moved all articles about COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, into its archives. This post may have CDC links that are no longer active, or have moved. You may be directed to the new link at the CDC website.

In this post I’m sharing some of what I’ve been reading about the COVID-19 epidemic. These experienced, knowledgeable, compassionate physicians share insights to help colleagues as well as patients. I thank them for taking the time to share in the midst of this crisis.

a perspective from China

Since 2016, Laura Jordhen, M.D. has been practicing in Shanghai’s United Family Xincheng Hospital and was chair of infection control for the hospital before becoming chief of its family medicine department in December. In an interview for the AAFP she said,

“(In China now) Things are slowly getting back to normal. Our ear, nose and throat clinic is reopening. Dental is reopening. The number of new confirmed cases is low.

People in Wuhan are still basically isolated in their homes, but throughout the rest of China schools are starting to open up. With still a few cases reported every several days in Shanghai, schools have still not reopened. It’s still very strict social isolation.

Massage, hair cut — any kind of business that involved physical contact or having people close together — was shut down around Chinese New Year, which started Jan 25.”

Read more of Dr. Jordhen’s insights on China’s handling of COVID-19 at

U.S. FP Shares COVID-19 Insights From Practice in China

an electron microscope image of the coronavirus
used with permission, CDC.GOV

from the National Institutes of Health

On the NIH Director’s blog, Dr. Francis Collins explains social distancing.

“What exactly does social distancing mean?

Well, for starters, it is recommended that people stay at home as much as possible, going out only for critical needs like groceries and medicines, or to exercise and enjoy the outdoors in wide open spaces.

Other recommendations include avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people, no handshakes, regular handwashing, and, when encountering someone outside of your immediate household, trying to remain at least 6 feet apart.

These may sound like extreme measures. But the new study by NIH-funded researchers, published in the journal Science, documents why social distancing may be our best hope to slow the spread of COVID-19. ” Read more at

To Beat COVID-19, Social Distancing is a Must

Practice Social Distancing.
provided as a service from the University of Oklahoma Medical Center

In A nine-step plan to deal with COVID-19 stress, psychiatrist Dr. Gerard Clancy offers this advice.

“7. Can-do list. Under the current guidelines there are many things we can’t do. With activities out in the community curtailed, this can leave down time. This has allowed us to create a list of what we can do.

This has included reading books, reorganizing the house and watching classic and new movies. It has also included my own version of Master Chef, where I need to cook dinner with what we have left in the pantry. It has been a challenge but also fun.”

Family of 4 sitting at a dining table.
I’ve heard some families say this is allowing them to eat dinner together more than usual.

Why Doctors and Nurses are Anxious and Angry

“Every single day for the past six months, I have recommended the flu shot for my patients, and every day a good chunk decline. When I ask why, most can’t articulate an answer. They offer only an inchoate distaste for vaccines, fomented by the oddly contagious anti-vaccine movement.

I remind them that their grandparents would have given their eyeteeth for the vaccines they blithely shrug off. I point out the entirely unnecessary resurgence of measles resulting from a falloff in vaccination rates.”

Dr. Danielle Ofri, a doctor at Bellevue Hospital and a clinical professor of medicine at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, is the author of “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” and the forthcoming “When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error.”

Review your family’s vaccination status at this previous post about vaccine preventable diseases.

exploring the HEART of COVID-19

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you turn health challenges into health opportunities.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha
Come Read with me-Tyndale Rewards.com
Reader Rewards Club

My Reader Rewards Club is a great way to earn free books and Bibles for yourself, friends, and family! Your journey to earning free faith-based products starts HERE.
(When you sign up through these links, I can earn free books too.)

As a member, you’ll have access to inspiring literature, Bibles, special promotional offers, and much more. Earning points is easy—you’ll receive 25 points just for signing up!