While driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's Chinese immigrant parents spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. They stop the car, grabbing rusty scissors and an old paper bag, and the whole family wades into the mud to gather as much as they can. At first, she's embarrassed. Why can't her family just get food from the grocery store, like everyone else? But when her mother shares a bittersweet story of her family history in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged—and the memories left behind in pursuit of a new life. Together, they make a new memory of watercress.
2021 Caldecott Medal Winner; Newbery Honor Book; APALA Award Winner; New England Book Award Winner; New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year; Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book; Cybils Award; Washington Post Best Children's Book of the Year; New York Public Library Best Book of the Year; Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year; CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book; Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection