"A few of us run alongside until we're out of breath,
waving goodbye as they zip onto the main road
and sail beyond the park.
Legs circling in faded blue pants.
Bicycles shining in the sun.
Wind lifting their hair.
Beep, beep, honk, honk."
I knew none of this ... and that is what I love about reading books for children. I learn so much!
A family of children sit outside and watch those men who deliver food as they set off to do their job for the day. The men begin at the Old Sobaya noodle shop near where the children live, and they are tasked with making deliveries of the noodles so carefully crafted by the very experienced sobaya chef.
The noodles are not delivered in the insulated bags we have become accustomed to when ordering through Dash or Skip the Dishes; rather, 'the ceramic soup bowls and wooden soba boxes' are stacked one on top of the other into a tower that is much higher than the bikes the demae pilot to their destinations. One hand holds the tower, while the other guides their bike through congested streets.
Customers wait; bystanders keep a close watch; the riders ride from place to place making sure their noodles are delivered safely and on time. The children who follow them do their best to emulate the skills they possess, encouraged by any passing deliveryman. The demae work all day, growing more and more tired from the heat, the pace, the constant work.
"Even when our city slows down,
the deliverymen still go.
Hungry customers still wait."
As the day winds down and the deliveries slow, Ms. Maclear has a lovely surprise for her readers. Can you guess who brings home noodles for Mama and their six children? After most delicious bowls of soba are eaten, the children are ready for bed. Papa is happy with a long soak in a warm tub, before tucking his children in and getting the sleep he needs before the sun rises once more, and another long day begins.
An author's note explains that Ms. Maclear spent childhood summers in Tokyo. Noting that this method of soba delivery lasted from the 1930s into the 1970s, the bikes were being replaced by motorbikes when she was there; still, she saw the men as acrobats and gazed in wonder at the towers they carried so skillfully. Gracey Zhang used ink and gouache paints to create a nostalgic look and setting for the story. Her fine details will have readers and listeners poring over each and every page. Two archival photos, from 1937 and 1959, were part of the inspiration for her exemplary artwork.
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