Gathering watercress by the side of the road brings a girl closer to her family's Chinese Heritage.
Driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's parents stop suddenly when they spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. Grabbing an old paper bag and some rusty scissors, the whole family wades into the muck to collect as much of the muddy, snail covered watercress as they can.
At first, she's embarrassed. Why can't her family get food from the grocery store? But when her mother shares a story of her family's time in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged. Together, they make a new memory of watercress.
Andrea Wang tells a moving autobiographical story of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage, illustrated by award winning author and artist Jason Chin, working in an entirely new style, inspired by Chinese painting techniques. An author's note in the back shares Andrea's childhood experience with her parents.
"Each feeling described here—gratitude, envy, nostalgia and the like—takes the shape of a quirky monster. A few of the creatures resemble hedgehogs or owls; some have rounded noses and others pointed ones . . . We see Bliss zonked out in an oversize armchair, its frilled ears splayed wide and a beatific smile on its little gray face. Envy wears a spiteful expression as it crushes flowers underfoot . . . [The book’s creators] suggest that while children should beware the negative feelings that lurk within, they should remember that positive emotions are there too, ready to kindle an inner light when no one’s looking."
--Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal
"This is a uniquely beautiful and original book. The extraordinary illustrations, done mostly in shades of gray with just occasional color, are more than perfect in picturing the concepts of the book . . .The words are so lovingly rendered with the illustrations."
--Katrina Yurenka, Youth Services Book Review, Starred Review
"[Aleksandra Zając's] crisp, fine lines and gray-tone palette (with subtle touches of coral, sky blue and sage) ensure that even the more volatile emotions, such as Anger, won't frighten the youngest readers . . . This is a picture book filled with surprises . . . Oziewicz has a startlingly succinct and evocative way of capturing these feelings . . . What Feelings Do When No One's Looking will prompt thoughtful conversations about the wide range of feelings a person can experience. It's exactly the sort of book that . . . all children need." – Julie Danielson, BookPage
