Wild Greens, Beautiful Girl (Own Voices, Own Stories)

by Erica Lee Schlaikjer, Cinyee Chiu (illustrator)

On the eastern plains of Taiwan, a young girl and her mother pick wild greens before a rainstorm drenches them and their garden. When she goes to pull at the roots of a spikey, stalky weed, she learns that the plant is not what it seems. A lyrical story that shows young readers how to appreciate the bounty of nature and the beauty of identity. Chinese and Pinyin translations are included in pages and backmatter features additional information on the Indigenous Amis people of Taiwan. An Own Voices, Own Stories award winner.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Childrens, Gardening, Environment, Cultural

45 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2024

About the author

Erica Lee Schlaikjer grew up in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and the United States. She writes stories about the joy of belonging, the beauty of fleeting moments, and the wonders of nature. Her debut picture book, WILD GREENS, BEAUTIFUL GIRL won the 2022 Own Voices, Own Stories award from Sleeping Bear Press. SKY LUCK is her second picture book, due to be published in Fall 2025 with Blue Dot Kids Press. You can find her in Los Angeles with her husband, Nader, and their cat, Kismet. Learn more about her at www.ericaleewrites.com.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This multilingual picture book has many levels of understanding. On the surface, it is a lushly illustrated book about a girl and her mother exploring a garden while the mother shares about our connection to nature. On another level, the mother is sharing the history, culture, and language of the indigenous Amis people of Taiwan. Each page includes text in English, Chinese, and Pinyin. The author's notes at the back contain an even deeper level of discussion. Highly recommended for school and public libraries searching for multicultural titles for young readers.

[Suhasini Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Greens, Beautiful Girl, written by Erica Lee and illustrated by Cinyee Chiu, is a lyrical and visually stunning story about a girl and her mother from the Amis tribe in Taiwan as they explore their garden. The book beautifully weaves in rich details about Indigenous culture, heritage, history, and language while they gather wild treasures. A heartfelt celebration of nature and tradition.

[Sirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl and her mother go to their tangled garden and pick greens for their table. In the process, the girl learns a bit more of her ancestral language and the significance of many of the plants.

Beautifully written and illustrated, this book invites us to remember cultures that are slowly fading despite their many worthy values.

[Kathy Temean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers will love this lyrical story's beautiful watercolor illustrations that introduce children to Taiwan's lush vegetation and goodness. 

A typhoon is brewing. Dark clouds groan above me. As a storm approaches, a young Amis girl and her mother head out to gather greens from their garden, looking for ginger root for stew and scallion for savory pancakes. Rain from the storms fills their reservoirs so they can drink, and it waters the rice fields and fruit trees so they can eat.

The young girl notices an ugly weed with jagged edges and hairy stems. She tries to yank it up by its roots, ripping its leaves to shreds so it can't take over their beautiful garden. But her mother points out what is good about the ugly plant. She says they can use it in soup, and the juice can be used for medicine. As the typhoon winds kick up, the mother and girl rush to fill their baskets.

Everyone will enjoy seeing the tall cliffs that rise high above the deep blue Pacific Ocean on this picturesque island. The young girl shares that some people say it reminds them of the coast of Hawaii, the bluffs of California, or the shores of New Zealand. Besides introducing readers to Taiwan; this book also introduces new words for children to learn, like Typhoon, Indigenous, Amis, dadgum, kawa, hakhak, fake, mutzmutz, dali, samurai, and makapahai.

Even though I don't know Mandarin or Pinyin, I thought including their translation from English text throughout the book was very cool and a great way to keep an ancient culture alive. WILD GREENS, BEAUTIFUL GIRL is a beautiful book all around. 

[Gina Soldano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much that once I finished the story, I flipped right back to the beginning to enjoy it once more. There is so much contained in this book, legacy, botany, history--there will be something new to catch each time you read it. Stunning illustrations, beautifully woven text about a young girl harvesting wild greens with her mother and the history of her land and people. Highly recommend!!

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this beautiful bilingual picture book, a little girl spends sometime with her mother picking wild greens before the typhoon arrives. When she uproots and shreds some weeds, her mother explains how some plants are not what they seem and that even weeds can have value. Lyrical writing and gorgeous art combine to make this a treat to read. I’m hoping it also inspires readers to grow some greens of their own.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story and the illustrations. I got to learn more about the indigenous people of Taiwan. The book being in English, Mandarin, and Pinyin was thoughtful. The only thing is that at the end of the book, it says that the language of the Amis people is dying off, so I would have liked the book also translated into that language so that Amis children can read about themselves.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC from Edelweiss.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mother and daughter explore an island and a garden, showing their love for each other, land, and heritage. Don’t miss out on this lyrical experience!

[Wendy Goldstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mother and daughter from the Amis Tribe in Thailand take the reader on a beautifully illustrated, educational journey on their culture through the garden where treasures are unearthed.

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely bilingual picture book tribute to Taiwan and one of its Indigenous peoples.

[Riella Cristobal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a new topic for me!

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discovering your culture through gardening with mom. Awesome book. Art is great, too.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The text in this book is written in English with Chinese and Pinyin translations. This is an amazing book that talks about the native people of eastern Taiwan, wild gardens, and the food that is made from the items that grow there. A great choice for kids interested in other cultures, food, or gardening.