Ripening Time
Description
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.
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Persons
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.