Wild greens, beautiful girl Yěcài gūniáng

A child learns about Taiwan's flora and gains a deeper understanding of family heritage in this lushly illustrated paean to the natural world. In early first-person lines, the young protagonist welcomes a coming typhoon: "It's good for the sky to cry./ The rain fills our reservoirs, so we can drink,/ and it waters the rice fields and fruit trees,/ so we can eat." Just before rainfall, the narrator and their mother, ina, harvest ginger root and scallions, and the child pulls up what they perceive as weeds, only to learn that it is dadagum, "a flowering shrub, related to tomato and potato plants." The wild vegetables, ina explains, "have their own kawas, their own spirit, just like us,/ the Amis people, the original people of Taiwan." The wet-on-wet effect of Chiu's limited-palette illustrations feather into roiling black clouds, humid green leaves, and rich gray earth, while plant descriptions and illustrations echo the characters' rootedness and strength. Mandarin and Pinyin translations accompany the English text, and concluding notes offer context. Ages 6--7. (Aug.)

A young girl learns about her people's history and culture. A beautiful landscape stretches out behind the child, who narrates: "Today, I am helping myina, my mother, gather greens from our garden." She's finally old enough to forage with her mother on their wild lands. Mother and daughter are part of the Indigenous Amis people of Taiwan. Though the young narrator attempts to remove weeds, her mother explains, "We want those plants to grow--we can eat them!" Like the Amis, "wild vegetables…have their ownkawas, their own spirit." Schlaikjer draws a contrast between the protagonists, who are deeply connected to the food they eat, and most Taiwanese people, who purchase frozen dumplings or instant noodles at the grocery store. The child also learns the Amis language from her ina (only Mandarin and English are taught in school) as the two count to 10 together; the narrator shares other words with readers. Though rooted in concrete details, the prose has a lilting quality, brimming with pride for the Amis and their way of life, while the stunning double-spread watercolors capture the lushness of the land. Chinese and Pinyin translations accompany the text. Backmatter offers further information on the Amis, their native home, and their endangered language. A simple, verdant celebration of heritage, identity, and food.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.