MAGIC RAMEN: THE STORY OF MOMOFUKU ANDO
Community Service & STEM Activities
Best Users: School Librarians, Public Librarians, Classroom and STEM Educators, Home Learning
Best Audience: Grades 01-05
ACTIVITY KIT
Magic Ramen:
The Story of Momofuku Ando (little bee books) highlights both Ando’s mission to feed the hungry and his tireless use of STEM experimentation to create a “magic” ramen that is would result in “no more empty stomachs” and “no more high prices” for food. The Activity Kit contains:
— Marketing: Event poster and suggested calendar copy
— Activity: Craft Cupboard Ramen
— Activity: Ramen Relay Race
— Community Service: Information on Food Insecurity
— Community Service: Food Bank Drive Flyer
— Community Service & STEM: Labels for Ramen Giveaway
— STEM: Opportunities for Engagement
DOWNLOAD Magic Ramen: Activity Kit (PDF)
DOWNLOAD
Magic Ramen: Event Poster
(JPG)
DOWNLOAD
Magic Ramen: Food Bank Drive Flyer
(JPG)
ABOUT THE BOOK
Magic Ramen:
The Story of Momofuku Ando
By Andrea Wang
Illustrated by Kana Urbanowicz
Published by little bee books
ISBN-13: 9781499807035
Age Range: 4 – 8 Years
Inspiration struck when Momofuku Ando spotted the long lines for a simple bowl of ramen following World War II. Magic Ramen tells the true story behind the creation of one of the world’s most popular foods.
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.
A Junior Library Guild Selection
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“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 inspiring story of persistence and an ideal purchase for any collection.”
—School Library Journal, Starred Review
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“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…Eaters of all ages will enjoy learning about the history of this popular food gone global.”
—Kirkus Reviews
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“Wang (The Nian Monster) outlines Ando’s methodical search, including his failures….Vivid artwork by debut artist Urbanowicz uses a clear line style to combine documentary seriousness with humor…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.”
—Publishers Weekly
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“Magic Ramen, for me, is the kind of book that can bridge that gap between kids that like fact and kids that like fiction. Luring fiction readers over to the world of informational texts is one of my great pleasures in life. It isn’t all that hard, if the book is interesting enough, the text fun, and the subject original. This is the book that can convince a child that real life is just as full of kooky stories as anything you could make up. So here’s to the little bio unafraid to try something new. And, unlike Momofuku Ando, it gets it right on the very first try.”
—Elizabeth Bird, Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal
