Noodles on a Bicycle: (Caldecott Honor Book)

by Kyo Maclear, Gracey Zhang (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

A CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK • A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book • A BOOKPAGE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, AND HORN BOOK BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593706084
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	08/27/2024
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kyo Maclear is a critically acclaimed author whose books have received starred reviews, appeared on numerous "Best of" lists, and been published in multiple languages around the world. The Big Bath House received five starred reviews and landed on many best of the year lists. One of her picture books, Virginia Wolf, has been adapted for the stage, and another, Julia, Child, is currently being adapted into an animated television series.

Gracey Zhang received the Caldecott Honor for Noodles on a Bicycle. She also received the Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award for her debut picture book, Lala’s Words. Gracey illustrated The Big Bath House, which received five starred reviews; Nigel and The Moon, a Jumpstart Read for the Record selection; and The Upside Down Hat, which was a The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2022. She is a renowned illustrator, author, and animator with a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/06/2024

Dynamic spreads by Zhang pulse with energy as they capture the casual grace of Japan’s demae—cycling food deliverers—who, from the 1930s to the 1970s, per an end note, balanced stacked trays loaded with “ceramic soup bowls and wooden soba boxes” on one shoulder while piloting their bicycle with the other hand. Maclear describes their feats via the voice of a group of neighborhood children who look up to the cyclists, taut lines echoing the tension behind their work: “They are artists./ Architects./ Tough talkers./ Speedy spinners.// But mostly,/ they are acrobats.” The children try balancing trays and dishes themselves, only to “Rattle,/ wobble.../ clatter,/ crash!” As the day wears on, the figures cast long shadows that underline the job’s difficulty: “What is it like to work outside all day,/ cycling for a living,/ the dusk air hot and heavy and/ sticky like honey?” At dinnertime, the appearance of another deliveryman brings a surprise. In this buoyant work from the previous collaborators (The Big Bath House), 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. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator’s agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "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

From the Publisher

07/12/2024

PreS-Gr 2—Maclear's book is a glistening blend of imagination and innocence, perfectly capturing the wonder of childhood exploration. Children watch, amazed, as the delivery men set off every morning, delicately balancing their stacks of noodles while they traverse around the city on bicycles. The children try to put themselves in the delivery men's shoes by balancing bowls of water on their own bicycle, but find it is not so easy. The delivery men are painted as acrobats, able to weave around the dangers that might make them lose their noodles, and yet in the end, they come home, and they are just human. Zhang's ink and gouache illustrations are the perfect match for the story, providing vibrant and muted colors as appropriate that bring the world to life and show all of the beauty of the city and the delicate balancing act of the delivery men. VERDICT This is a heartwarming tale with an engaging story and beautiful illustrations that are sure to entertain children.—Jessica Clark

School Library Journal

★ 2024-05-17
Impressive towers of noodles whiz through the city in this charming tribute to the hardworking deliverymen of midcentury Tokyo.

A gaggle of children wait patiently to catch a glimpse of the demae (deliverymen) as they set off from the soba noodle shop in the morning. The youngsters stare with wide-mouthed wonder as the men stack trays upon trays of ceramic soup bowls and wooden soba boxes on their shoulders. Arms steady, the demae mount their bicycles and weave their way through busy streets to feed a hungry city. The deliverymen “are artists. Architects. Tough talkers. Speedy spinners…and acrobats,” expertly navigating the curves and hills of the city landscape until they return to their families at night. Drawing on youthful memories of summers spent in Tokyo’s Nishi-Ogikubo neighborhood, Maclear crafts a compelling story from a child’s perspective, engaging the senses with rhythmic prose and onomatopoeia. Her author’s note explains that this delivery method—used from the 1930s to the ’70s—was eventually phased out. Perfectly complementing the text, Zhang’s illustrations use lively and expressive strokes of ink and gouache, each spread bursting with character. Readers will enjoy poring over the delightful details on each page. Maclear and Zhang have created an intimate and immersive experience that transports readers to the Tokyo of yesteryear, allowing them to bask in the sights, scents, and sounds of the busy city.

A fascinating, loving snapshot of a gravity-defying artform lost to time. (author’s note, glossary, photos) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews