RIPENING TIME: A Picture Book Review

Introduction

It was a pleasure to meet Patrice Gopo at the North Carolina Young People’s Literature Award ceremony in December. I received the award for Young Adult Literature for Half-Truths, and Patrice won the Children’s Literature award for Ripening Time.

It wasn’t until we started talking did we realize that we live less than ten miles from each other! What are the chances that the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association would pick two North Carolinian women who were practically neighbors? Not very high I think.

Today I’m happy to bring you a review of Patrice’s second children’s book, Ripening Time.

Review

The girls’ mother points to the plantains.

The little girl is excited! She clutches the smooth peels and touches the rough stems picturing, “the fruit hidden inside, tucked away:

Fruit that is firm now.

Fruit that will sweeten when soft.

Fruit ready to fry another day.”

And so, the wait begins.

“How long?” I ask Mama, my arms reaching up.

I imagine tasting the plantains

fresh from the frying pan,

biting into the caramelized edge

mashing the flavor against my tongue.

Waiting is so hard!

The little girl watches “faint yellow crawl across the green peels.” Two days later, “tiny black marks splatter the mustard-colored skin.” Finally, by Friday, the yellow begins to fade away and the family dances in excitement.

“Soon…Mama will reach for what is ripe,

peel the plantains, and slice them into strips.

Sweetness frying in a puddle of oil.”

On Saturday,

FINALLY!!

At last on Sunday, Mama fries strips of plantains as a “sweet, fruit smell tempts my nose.”

“I bite into the fruit,

so warm on my tongue,

sweet like vanilla and honey,

soft in the middle,

crisp at the edge.”

Back Matter

The book closes with an author’s note that echoes the theme of waiting–as she waited for her mother to cook the longed-for sweet fruit when she was a child. The back matter includes the difference between bananas and plantains and a recipe for fried plantains. Here’s a recipe I found that looks delicious!

How to Use This Book

I loved all of the sensory images Patrice used in Ripening Time. In a Kindergarten through second grade classroom you could ask students to pick out the words that show texture, smell, taste, and sound. There is also lovely figurative language for visual cues such as the yellow that “crawls” across the green peels and the “sweetness that is frying in a puddle of oil.”

The book can also be used to talk about the days of the week, and of course, it’s a great book to talk about how hard it is for every young reader to

WAIT!

The Illustrations

Carlos Vélez Aguilera used bright vibrant colors to amplify the message that is danced across the back of the book, “Some of the sweetest things in life are worth the wait.”

Giveaway

Worthy Kids is giving away a copy of Ripening Time to one fortunate reader. If you are a teacher or librarian, you will get two chances to win this lyrical, fun picture book. Enter by 5 PM on April 23!

Personal Note- a Blog Break!

I’m going on vacation soon so my blog is too. I will be back mid-May with more reviews and giveaways.