Ramen for Everyone

A celebration of the complexity and care that go into making this Japanese staple.

Hiro loves ramen so much, "he wants to make the perfect bowl." The noodle dish is part of his ancestry--his grandfather ran a ramen shop in Hawaii, where his father also learned the family recipe. Now, each week, Hiro sits nearby as his father makes ramen, taking notes, "studying Dad's technique," and learning how to create the noodles and broth from scratch. On Hiro's seventh birthday, he decides, "I'm a big boy now. I'm going to make the perfect bowl of ramen." Tanumihardja's picture book debut encouragingly, practically shows how much hard work goes into the food's preparation ("The noodles should be soft and springy... just like your earlobe!"), leaving room for Hiro to try, try again, and at last put a personal spin on the traditional dish. Pate's sumi ink, pencil, and digital illustrations reproduce packaged ramen's colorful, cartoony designs, establishing a cheerfully chaotic tone across action-oriented panels. Back matter includes a ramen recipe. All characters cue as Japanese. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)