Ripening Time

Author: Patrice Gopo and Carlos Vélez Aguilera

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Hardcover

This beautifully written and evocative story is a gorgeous depiction of how food can draw a parent and child together, and a touching reminder that some of the sweetest rewards in life are worth the wait.

Pre order release date
23rd June 2025

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Pre order release date
23rd June 2025

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Hardcover

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

Description

Celebrate the power of food and create delicious, lasting memories with this poetic and playful exploration of the joy of waiting for, and finally sharing, fried plantains.

Mama steers the cart toward the produce section of the grocery store and picks up a bunch of green plantains. Thus begins a week of anxious anticipation as a young girl waits for mustard yellows to seep onto the unripe green peels. Creep. Creep. Seep. Green begins to turn to yellow. Creep. Creep. Seep. Black streaks appear. And finally, on Sunday, the frying pan sizzles and hisses, as Mama serves up the warm, sugary slices the young girl has waited for so long.

Much like there is sweet treasure hidden beneath the skin of a plantain, this beautifully written and evocative story reaches far beyond the act of preparing a favorite food. Ripening Time celebrates the way food and family entwine to connect us across generations-and serves as a touching reminder that some of the sweetest rewards in life are worth the wait.

Critic Reviews

"Delectable prose and jewel-toned illustrations come together as a young narrator counts down until a bunch of plantains are ripe enough for eating....The suspense yields a satisfying ending ("One week behind me./ One plate before me."), as Aguilera uses rich, saturated colors to create a domestic world filled with flowers and produce, amplifying the sensory-rich storytelling."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

About the Author

Patrice Gopo is the child of Jamaican immigrants and was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. She is an award-winning essayist and author of the picture book All the Places We Call Home. Patrice lives with her family in North Carolina, where one taste of fried plantains immediately takes her back to some of the sweetest moments in her childhood. Visit patricegopo.com to learn more.

Carlos Vélez Aguilera is a professional illustrator and graduate of the National School of Plastic Arts at the National University Autonomous of Mexico. He has illustrated for books, magazines, and animation projects, including his own authored book, Salón Destino. He works in pencil and ink to create sketches and character studies, then colors his work digitally.