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by Maalvika Bhat (Author)
The Baking of BREADSTERS
I love to doodle. And I doodle what I love. Carbs of various kinds top that list.
Around the time I was in middle school, I had doodled characters like Mr. and
Mrs. Muffin, Mr. and Mrs. Donut, and Mr. and Mrs. Roll. Eventually, I sketched
their kids. That's how Stud Muffin, Buttery Toast, Guchi Roll, and other
characters were born.
During the summer after 7th grade, I visited a museum of the famous
cartoonist, Mario Miranda, in Goa, India. I was hooked. The influence a
cartoonist can have -- blending art, observation, and humor to make a
statement -- excited me. As I worked on Breadsters, I thought I should
represent them with different breads from around the globe. After all, bread,
in all its various forms, is the most widely consumed food in the world, and
has been an integral part of our diet for thousands of years. In fact, recent
scholarship suggests humans started baking bread at least 30,000 years ago.
(Thank you, History.com).
The comic strips or "carb-toons" in this book were created over a period of
five years. As I grew up, graduated from middle school to high school, and
have risen to becoming a senior in high school, so have these Breadsters.
They looked different when they started in 2013. And just like me, they look
slightly more mature now. Each chapter is an assortment of the comic strips
drawn over this period of time, and has been introduced with my ruminations
on that particular slice of life. More comic strips (I try to publish one every
week during the school year) that are not included in this book, can be found
on www.breadsters.com or www.facebook.com/thebreadsters.
Each year of my high school presented its own unique set of joys, challenges,
and opportunities. But they also contributed magnificently in helping me
understand myself a bit better. As this self-awareness grew, my comics
become more personal and specific. Friends, peers, and parents who followed
Breadsters on social media reminded me, by their comments and messages,
that they were all going through similar struggles, turmoil, and milestones.
We were all in it together!
I hope this collection of comics helps every middle and high-schooler
remember this: Whatever you are feeling, you are not alone. It may feel
isolating when you are staying up late to finish your homework, that you
are the only person working hard while the rest of the world is comfortably
tucked away and sleeping (or worse, having fun!). Or you are the only person
in conflict with your parents' overbearing restrictions. But, as the following
comics prove, you're in good company.
I hope you enjoy this labor of love.
