Cress Watercress

Cress Watercress
Co-Authors / Illustrators
Age Range
8+
Release Date
March 29, 2022
ISBN
978-1536211009
Buy This Book
      
A lavishly illustrated woodland tale with a classic sensibility and modern flair—from the fertile imagination behind Wicked

Gregory Maguire turns his trademark wit and wisdom to an animal adventure about growing up, moving on, and finding community. When Papa doesn't return from a nocturnal honey-gathering expedition, Cress holds out hope, but her mother assumes the worst. It’s a dangerous world for rabbits, after all. Mama moves what’s left of the Watercress family to the basement unit of the Broken Arms, a run-down apartment oak with a suspect owl landlord, a nosy mouse super, a rowdy family of squirrels, and a pair of songbirds who broadcast everyone’s business. Can a dead tree full of annoying neighbors, and no Papa, ever be home? In the timeless spirit of E. B. White and The Wind and the Willows—yet thoroughly of its time—this read-aloud and read-alone gem for animal lovers of all ages features an unforgettable cast that leaps off the page in glowing illustrations by David Litchfield. This tender meditation on coming-of-age invites us to flourish wherever we find ourselves.

Editor review

1 review
A delightful animal adventure
Overall rating
 
4.5
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
What I Liked:
Cress Watercress is a beautifully illustrated book for children with all you want in a read-aloud story. It engages with family lessons, adventure, and relatable animal characters with human emotions. Cress Watercress loses her dad either to humans or an encounter with a predator; the author leaves that to the reader's interpretation. The result is the family has to move from their warren to a new place without the familiarity of other rabbits. You have a cranky owl landlord, a super who a nosey mouse, some rowdy squirrel neighbors, and of course, the new friend that the parents are not sure is the best person to be friends with. While living there, new dangers are lucky from other wild creatures. Cress Watercress learns how to make friends, care about her sick brother, and adapt to life's ever-changing circumstances.
Final Verdict:
Gregory Maguire is a well-known talented author who has paired this story with a very gifted illustrator. The drawings are eye-catching, vivid, and lend very well to the story. The chapters are short and perfect for a read-aloud or an early chapter reader. Cress Watercress is a delightful story.
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