Noodles on a Bicycle
- Publisher
- Random House Publishing Group
- Initial publish date
- Aug 2024
- Category
- Asia, Cooking & Food, Multigenerational
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780593706084
- Publish Date
- Aug 2024
- List Price
- $24.99
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 4 to 8
- Grade: p to 3
Description
A vibrant historical picture book about Tokyo's bicycle food deliverers, or demae, who balanced towering trays of steaming hot noodles on their shoulders while navigating crowded city streets.
When the deliverymen set off in the morning, the children wait for the flicker of pedal and wheel. It's the demae-- delivery men-- setting off to deliver steaming trays of noodles to hungry customers all over the city. They are acrobats: whizzing past other bicycles, soaring around curves, avoiding the black smoke of motorcycles. When the children see them, they want to be them. And so they practice with bowls of wobbling water stacked on trays. The day passes, and, finally, exhausted, the demae return home, to their families, and, yes, to steaming bowls of noodles.
This beautifully crafted, visually exciting story by a powerhouse author and illustrator team is sure to be adored by food lovers, young and old.
About the authors
KYO MACLEAR was born in London and grew up in Toronto as the only child of a foreign correspondent. Her father reported on some significant world events, including recording the first interviews with American POWs in North Vietnam. While Stray Love is entirely a work of fiction, it is informed by her experiences living with her father. Her first novel, The Letter Opener (2007), was awarded the K.M. Hunter Artists Award and shortlisted for the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award. Maclear is also an award-winning visual arts writer and the author of two children’s books: Spork (2010) and Virginia Wolf (2012). Visit her online at www.kyomaclear.ca.
Gracey Zhang is an illustrator and animator with a love of storytelling and verse. She is the author and illustrator of Lala's Words and the illustrator of The Big Bath House, Nigel and the Moon, and The Upside Down Hat. She was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, and received her degree in Illustration from RISD. Gracey is now based in Brooklyn, New York, where she can be found window watching from the train when she's not scribbling away at her desk. You can visit her at graceyzhang.com.
Editorial Reviews
★ "Lively language honors long-honed skills worth remembering, while ink and gouache spreads capture every detail, right down to labels hand-painted on the soba boxes, in this wonderfully specific snapshot." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "A fascinating, loving snapshot of a gravity-defying artform lost to time." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "With vivid descriptions of the sights and sounds of the city, the text sets readers right down in the middle of the scenes, while the writing makes for an animated read-aloud." —The Horn Book, starred review
★ “Delectably charming … The duo repeat their symbiotic success, nourishing readers with quotidian history ‘worth remembering and celebrating.’”
—Shelf Awareness, starred review
★ “Words and art come together seamlessly to reveal a world now long gone, in a loving, memorable tale that children will want to savor time and again.”
—BookPage, starred review
"This is a heartwarming tale with an engaging story and beautiful illustrations that are sure to entertain children." —School Library Journal
