Noodles on a Bicycle

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.