Book Descriptions
for Noodles on a Bicycle by Kyo Maclear and Gracey Zhang
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
In a bustling Japanese city, a group of children admires the agility and athleticism of noodle deliverymen on bicycles. The men “stack the ceramic soup bowls and wooden soba boxes. One tray on top of another. On top of another.” Expertly balancing their towers of food on a single shoulder, they “whizz” and “soar” through the streets. The children run alongside them and pretend that they themselves are deliverymen, but—“Rattle, wobble … clatter, crash!”—their bowls of water topple to the ground. At the end of the day, the children want—what else?—“soupy, slurpy noodles. Thin, long, belly-filling noodles. Cold, chewy noodles made for dipping.” And who delivers their own tower of food? Papa! Their very own “delivery daddy,” exhausted after a “swift and sweaty day” but eager to sit down with his family for a delicious dinner. Vivid, poetic language is perfectly paired with dynamic ink-and-gouache illustrations, bringing a specialized skill of a bygone era to life in this mouth-wateringly delicious work.
CCBC Choices 2025. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin – Madison, 2025. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
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.
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.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
