Tag: family

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 and follow me on social media.

I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

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.

Why Plan for End-of-Life

A discussion of end-of-life planning and two books on the subject that I reviewed.

updated July 1, 2026

We, meaning doctors and patients, care much about how we live, but often give little attention to how we die. But death, after birth, is the single thing we all share as humans. Still, we live like it’s not going to happen, or act surprised when it does.

Death should never be welcome, and it will never be easy, but sometimes it is more horrible than it has to be because no one planned for it. No one asked the hard questions-

  • “What if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness?”
  • “What if you can no longer swallow or eat on your own?”
  • “What if you cannot breathe unassisted?”
  • “What if you are no longer competent to make your own medical decisions?”
Fewer than 10% of persons with sudden cardiac arrest survive.
Fewer than 10% of persons with sudden cardiac arrest survive.

End-of-life planning is not synonymous with  ending care or euthanasia. It is about providing comfort, controlling pain and other symptoms, and supporting family. It’s about deciding in advance how you want to spend the last few months, weeks, days, or hours of your life.

No matter how young or old you are,it is important to consider these things, because unexpected illness and injury can happen to anyone. There are two things to do-

Dying with Ease- a book review

Dr. Spiess doesn’t suggest that confronted with terminal illness we refuse treatment and give up. He advocates thinking about and planning for the dying process long before we develop an illness that might be fatal.

Keep reading

Talk- to your family about what you want. If you already have a life-threatening condition, talk to your doctors.

Write- down what you want. This is usually in the form of an advanced directive, living will, or medical power of attorney. You can learn how to do this here.

“Advance directives are discussions or written statements that convey a person’s wishes to his or her family and physician if he or she becomes unable to discuss such matters. They may

  1. explain the individual’s values about health, life and death;
  2. give directions to family and physician about treatment goals or the use or non-use of specific treatment modalities; or
  3.   designate a surrogate to make decisions on behalf of the individual.

After completing an advance directive, the individual should discuss its content and meaning with his or her family, surrogate, and physician. Individuals should review their advance directives periodically to assure that they accurately reflect their current values and wishes.”

My husband and I   have advance directives, and we discuss our wishes with each other periodically to confirm our preferences. We also have updated wills and funeral plans. We hope to spare our children unnecessary hardship after our passing.

A Beginner’s Guide to the End-a book review

A Beginner’s Guide to the End by B.J. Miller and Shoshana Berger offers practical advice for navigating life and death. Combining personal experiences and practical information, it covers essential topics such as planning ahead, dealing with illness, and understanding grief. The book serves as a helpful resource for anyone facing mortality.

Keep reading

Exploring the HEART of Health

I’d love for you to follow this blog and follow me on social media.

I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

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