Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando

by Andrea Wang, Kana Urbanowicz (Illustrator)

Overview

World War II was over, but in Japan, lines for a simple bowl of ramen noodles wound down the sidewalk. What Momofuku Ando did next would change food forever. Andrea Wang, author of Watercress (a Newberry honor book and winner of the Caldecott Medal), tells the true story behind the creation of one of the world's most popular foods.

"An inspiring story of persistence and an ideal purchase for any collection." School Library Journal, STARRED review

2021 Nutmeg Book Awards Nominee

Winner of the 2020 Sakura Award

Read Across America Book of the Month, May 2021

Center for Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book of 2019 List

Smithsonian Magazine '10 Best Children's Books of 2019′ List

Every day, Momofuku Ando would retire to his lab—a little shed in his backyard. For years, he'd dreamed about making a new kind of ramen noodle soup that was quick, convenient, and tasty for the hungry people he'd seen in line for a bowl on the black market following World War II. Peace follows from a full stomach, he believed.

Day after day, Ando experimented. Night after night, he failed. But Ando kept experimenting.

With persistence, creativity, and a little inspiration, Ando succeeded. This is the true story behind one of the world's most popular foods.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781499807035
Publisher:	little bee books
Publication date:	03/05/2019
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	87,367
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD590L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Andrea Wang, the Newberry Honor and APALA Award winning author of the Caldecott Medal winning Watercress, loves noodles, food, and noodling about food. A former environmental scientist, she appreciates Ando's scientific spirit, persistence in the face of failure, and passion for making the world a better place.Andrea lives in Colorado with her family and their dog, Mochi. Sometimes they have instant ramen for breakfast. You can find out more about Andrea at andreaywang.com.

Kana Urbanowicz works mainly as an illustrator and likes to draw people eating delicious food. Apart from illustration, she also creates animations, comics, and even clay figurines. She lives in Kanagawa, Japan, with her artist husband. By a lucky coincidence, there is a Momofuku Ando museum nearby, so she went there for some inspiration and noodle fun. After reading Ando's biography, Kana is happy that she could take part in making this book happen! Read more about her works at tekumushi.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/14/2019

Struck by the plight of civilians queuing miserably for food in postwar Japan, Taiwanese-born inventor Momofuku Ando has a revelation: “The world is peaceful only when everyone has enough to eat.” He vows to create food so inexpensive and easy to prepare that everyone can buy it—the food we know today as instant ramen. Wang (The Nian Monster) outlines Ando’s methodical search, including his failures: “The noodles were too crumbly. Or too sticky. Or too lumpy.” He also has to work out how to infuse soup flavor into the noodles, and how to make noodles that can be softened by boiling water alone. Vivid artwork by debut artist Urbanowicz uses a clear line style to combine documentary seriousness with humor, drawing Ando eyeing a piece of his wife’s tempura, wondering whether deep-frying the noodles will allow boiling water to penetrate them. (It does.) Persistence is at the heart of this success story as Ando presses on despite numerous setbacks. And, starry-eyed as it may sound, the goal of peace through food seems important—and possible—by the story’s end. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Warning: Reading this on a cold, snowy day will give you a serious hankering for the stuff
[ramen]. Just ask my five-year-old...As Publisher's Weekly notes, 'Starry-eye as it may sound, the goal of
peace through food seems important - and possible - by the story's end.'"

Smithsonian Magazine

★ 03/01/2019

K-Gr 3—When Momofuku Ando sees long lines of people waiting for food near his home in Osaka, Japan, shortly after World War II, his dream is born: to create the perfect bowl of noodles to feed hungry communities around the world. Realizing that "the world is peaceful only when everyone has enough to eat," he spends months testing recipes for the ideal noodle soup: tasty, perfectly seasoned, comforting, and preparable "anytime, anywhere." Each attempt at the perfect bowl of soup yields a different result: noodles that are too soggy, too brittle, or too soft. Despite personal and financial setbacks, he keeps the needs of the hungry and disenfranchised always at the center of his mission as he aims to maximize nutrition and nourishment. After trying and failing several times over, his "magic ramen" recipe is finally born: a perfectly fried noodle-broth combination that can be made in minutes by simply adding water. His invention is a success, making ramen a worldwide sensation and recognized household favorite. The author's tribute to one of history's most important inventors is complemented by digital illustrations, which separate well-paced text and add strong visual appeal to this exceptional biography picture book. An afterword is provided, giving readers additional insight into Ando's life and legacy and its connection to food history and popular culture, especially the creation of the widely recognizable Cup Noodles. VERDICT An inspiring story of persistence and an ideal purchase for any collection.–Natalie Romano, Denver Public Library

School Library Journal

2018-12-05

The true story of Momofuku Ando, who persevered to invent a speedy, nutritious, and tasty ramen to help feed the hungry in post-World War II Japan.

A year after the war ended, people were still starving for food. Realizing that the "world is peaceful only when everyone has enough to eat," Ando decided to make food his life's work. In a backyard shed, Ando attempted to realize his dream of a more nutritious ramen. He experimented by adding different ingredients to a basic recipe of flour, salt, and water: eggs, powdered milk, and even spinach! He invented a way to infuse the noodles with flavor, but the noodles were still too tough. Then, watching his wife make tempura gave him a brilliant idea—fry the noodles! Frying creates tiny holes in the noodles, causing them to soften after just a few minutes in hot water. Voilà: tender, chewy noodles in hot, tasty soup that was ready in two minutes! With an aesthetic that's straight out of a Hayao Miyazaki animated film, Urbanowicz's illustrations pair deliciously with Wang's concise, conversational text. Clever use of lighting, white space, and comic-book compositions moderate pacing in all the right places. The illustrator earns brownie points for accurate cultural details: geta (wooden sandals), cascading cherry blossoms, kanji characters, etc.

Eaters of all ages will enjoy learning about the history of this popular food gone global. (biographical note) (Informational picture book. 4-10)

Kirkus Reviews