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.
Editions
Illustrator
Gracey Zhang is a freelance illustrator and animator. She was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, and received her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. She is now based in New York City.
Praise
- Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Reviews
“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)
“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)
“A fascinating, loving snapshot of a gravity-defying artform lost to time.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“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.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Maclear’s book is a glistening blend of imagination and innocence, perfectly capturing the wonder of childhood exploration… This is a heartwarming tale with an engaging story and beautiful illustrations that are sure to entertain children.”
—School Library Journal
“Maclear’s rhythmic cadence enhances the vividness of her descriptions: who wouldn’t crave noodles after reading about ‘soupy, slurpy noodles’ and ‘cold, chewy noodles made for dipping’? … Both story and art effectively express the incredible skills of these delivery men.”
—Quill and Quire