Noodles on a Bicycle

By: Kyo Maclear, Gracey Zhang - illustrator

Narrated by: Sarah Skaer

A vibrant historical children's 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 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 story is sure to be adored by food lovers, young and old.

©2024 Kyo Maclear (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Critic reviews

A fascinating, loving snapshot of a gravity-defying artform lost to time.—Kirkus Reviews, starred review