“Once a year, on a Friday night, my family leaves the city and drives for hours and hours …” Destination: West Virginia, where Mawmaw is waiting. “Let me fix you a plate,” she says. The young biracial (Colombian/white) narrator describes the time her family spends with Mawmaw and Pawpaw, her dad’s parents, eating good things. “Three days later, we leave Mawmaw’s house so early it is still night, and drive and drive and drive, south and south and south…” Destination: Florida, where Abuela and Abuelo are waiting, and they spend time with her mother’s parents, eating different good things. Three days later, “we leave the little orange house and drive and drive and drive back toward our house in the city.” Within the parallel structure of the two visits to different sides of her family, the young narrator provides terrific observations about both sets of grandparents as well as family dynamics in each place in this fresh story further enlivened by terrific sensory language. Pen-and-ink, colored pencil, and markers were used to create cheery, vibrant illustrations that feel both childlike and sophisticated. (Ages 3-7)

Whether you're settling in for a heaping plate of Mamaw's banana pudding or Abuela's arepas and tostones, a good meal always brings family together.

A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book
An ALSC Notable Children's Book

This tale of a family road trip highlights the author's joy in both her American and Colombian heritage, and captures all the warmth and love of her family's two distinct cultures.

Once a year, on a Friday night,
My family leaves the city
And drives hours and hours . . .

After a long drive to visit family—whether in the mountains of rural West Virginia or the sticky heat of Florida—what could be a better welcome than a homemade meal?

Inspired by Elizabeth Lilly's childhood vacations and the sense-memories of late-night journeys down the coast, Let Me Fix You a Plate is a vivacious exploration of family traditions old and new— from toast with homemade blueberry jam, to fresh orange juice and arepas with queso blanco, to midnight waffles at home.

Vivid illustrations explore the heart of the home—the kitchen—and the treasures found when a family gathers to celebrate their culture, and one another. Joyous, bright, and mouth-watering, this celebration of family and our diverse, delicious traditions is sure to leave readers hungry for more!

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A CCBC Choice