Happy New Year All.
Watercress is a dazzling brilliant combination of writing and illustration which has been awarded the rare combination of a Caldecott Medal and a Newbery Honor in 2022 and additional awards. Andrea Wang writes of her childhood in Ohio and Jason Chin’s watercolors illustrate the boredom and embarrassment of harvesting roadside greens and household furniture. Eventually the characters and readers learn why Ms. Wang’s parents left China. Holiday House published Watercress.
While the story is specific to Ms. Wang’s childhood, it does contain universal themes such as childhood embarrassment because of one’s family. It evokes memories and answers to the childhood admonishments to: eat your vegetables; finish your dinner; there are starving children in China or elsewhere.
Two Question Interview with Andrea Wang
Hello Andrea. Welcome.
ETC: What advice would you give to writers under the age of 12?
AW: Read. Read as many books as you can in the category and genre that you want to write, but try to also read different types of books. Maybe try some poetry, or a picture book (you're never too old for a picture book), or a graphic novel. Reading across categories and genres will help build your vocabulary and show you different ways that stories can be structured.
ETC: What was some of the best advice that you received early in your writing career?
AW: This is a tough question because I took a lot of writing classes and received a lot of great advice. One tip that I've found helpful is to let the story be what it wants to be. That might sound a little wacky, but basically I take it to mean that I shouldn't limit the story to what I think it should be. Maybe I start out with the intention to write a picture book, but I get really intrigued by the theme and end up writing several thousand words. That's okay -- maybe the story is really a chapter book or middle grade novel. Or maybe I think I'm better at writing prose, but what comes out is free verse. That's okay, too. I think the important thing is to let your creative mind explore and have fun. Afterward, you can figure out what works best for the story and reshape it during the revision process.
Happy New Year! Thanks again for hosting me on your blog.
ETC: Thank you so much Andrea. It has been an honor.
Visit your local bookshop: The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop
Visit Andrea Wang
Learn more about Jason Chin
Online Exhibition: Asians Everyday at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art:
Visit: Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
