Let Me Fix You a Plate: A Tale of Two Kitchens

by Elizabeth Lilly

Whether you're settling in for a heaping plate of banana pudding or arepas and tostones, a good meal can always bring families together.

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

First my family drives through the mountains to stop at Mamaw and Papaw's house in rural West Virginia. We share blueberry jam and toast for breakfast the next morning, then munch cookies and cut bananas to make banana pudding with Mamaw. After the last bite of pudding, we get ready for the next part of the journey, down to Florida to visit Abuela and Abuelo for crispy tostones, fresh squeezed juice, and arepas with queso blanco.

Elizabeth Lilly's tale of a joyous road trip, drawn from her own experience, is illustrated with quirky charm that captures all the warmth and love of her family's two distinct cultures.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Food, Childrens, Fiction, Travel, Cultural

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully told. A book, like a good meal made by someone who loves you, to sit with.

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food engenders such memories! I have certain childhood memories of specific flavors, tastes or smell. For example, when I tasted cilantro as an adult, it triggered a food memory I didn't know I had from my one year living in Vietnam between age 3 and 4! I still remember my French grandmother's recipe for the perfect dressing for green salads - two tablespoons of oil to one tablespoon of vinegar -- also, lots of mixing of the greens and dressing and how many leaves fly out of the bowl while you mix means how many years till you marry! There was nothing quite as tasty as a still warm French petit pain au chocolat especially when the dough was buttery-flaky-croissant-like! I also still detest beets...shudder...though I remember trying to like them and failing after a few bites. And the brioche in the form of a dough boy that we all received along with an orange at the showing of "Born Free" during a rare movie school outing in the 1960's. And many, many more delicious memories!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book that celebrates family and the traditions, especially with food, that binds us together and creates powerful memories.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let Me Fix You a Plate is a sweet story about the intersection of a culturally diverse family. First, the family drives to Mawmaw and Pawpaw’s house where Mawmaw greets them with “Let me fix you a plate” of yummy sausage and blackberry jam and tractor cups of coffee. When the family arrives at Abuela’s house, she’s ready with tostones and arroz and flan. Warm threads of contentment weave through the book as we meet the friends and relatives that come to the table to share meals. Finally, when the family returns to their own home, with lots of fond memories, Daddy and Mommy mix flour and eggs to make waffles. Yum!

[Janet Bruins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Let Me Fix You a Plate at the 2025 National Book Festival, and it was such a beautiful experience. The story follows visits to different grandparents’ homes, capturing how the warmth of Mamaw feels different from that of Abuela—but both are equally rich and full of love. The writing and illustrations bring out the details of family meals, flavors, and traditions so vividly that you can almost taste them.
What stood out to me most is how the book celebrates living in harmony with different cultural backgrounds, showing how family love bridges across traditions. A heartfelt, delicious reminder of how home can be more than one place.

[Tara DuBose-Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multicultural family and food

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet story about a family who sets off once every year to visit grandparents. First, are their white grandparents living in West Virginia, then it is off to Florida to visit their Abuela and Abuelo. The story centers on the different foods they eat at each grandparents' home - both of which are equally enjoyed. I read this to my diverse young readers and they loved it. Food is such an important cultural part of our lives and this certainly celebrates that in all its diversity.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet story about a family visiting two sets of grandparents with vastly different cultural backgrounds. But the things that they both share with one another, love and food, bring everyone together!

Can't wait to share in a food/nutrition-based storytime setting. :)

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about a family vacation to visit grandparents in two very different locations, with very different backgrounds and cultures.

The illustrations, created using pen-and-ink, colored pencil, and illustration markers, are a bit rudimentary, but convey the warmth of family.

It would be a great story to read aloud with children, especially before a family trip to see relatives.

[Hannah]

I'm not a huge fan of this style of illustration, but I'm a huge fan of picture books about mixed families and their food.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the joys of being with extended family.

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warm and full of delightfully sensual details, with a big heart and just a touch of the bittersweet.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let Me Fix You a Plate: A Tale of Two Kitchens

This wasn't quite what I was expecting but it sure is a story I can relate to. Every year a family travels South to visit the girl's grandparents. First there's Mawmaw and Pawpaw, Dad's parents, on a mountain in West Virginia. The family arrives late at night. Mawmaw opens the door and says "Let me fix you a plate." I can relate so much to this. My Italian grandmother always had to feed us FIRST before we could do anything else. Sunday dinners were helf after a ride of only an hour and a half when any reasonable person could not possibly be hungry unless they didn't eat anything all morning. In Mawmaw's kitchen in the morning there's sausage sizzling in the skillet, blackberry jam on toast and tractors on cups. In my Italian grandmother's kitchen in the morning there was blueberry muffins or blueberry pancakes. In the story Dad and Pawpaw drink coffee with cream, no sugar, the same way from the same cups, emphasizing their father-son connection.

In Mawmaw's kitchen in the afternoon, the girls help stack vanilla wafer cookies, Mawmaw pours the pudding and the unnamed narrator covers the top with slices of banana. Then they eat it all!

Three days later they leave so early it's still night and drive and drive to Florida to Abuela and Abuelo's house. I can also relate to having one set of ethnic grandparents and one set of "American" grandparents. In the story and in my life, the ethnic family home is filled with aunts, uncles and cousins talking all at once and preparing a delicious meal. In this story the family is greeted by Abuela who says "Hay comidita adentro. Commense." ("There's food inside. Come and eat.") In Abuela's midnight kitchen, the aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, main character, her mom and sisters gather. The girl crunches tostones, scoops arroz and slurps flan, falling asleep at the table. Outside Abuela's morning kitchen, the girl picks naranjas (oranges) with Abuelo in the yard. They drink them as juice and eat arepas with queso blanco. Mom helps her mom fry the corn flour cakes cooking and chatting the whole time. In the evening, Tio Elmer makes coquito, rum punch, the grown-ups drink that looks like eggnog but doesn't taste like it. The girl hides behind the couch with her book while the cousins and aunts and uncles dance salsa and merengue. Abuelo finds her and brings her tostones. Now I have to go to the Spanish grocery store and do some shopping. This book makes me hungry!

Three days later they leave and drive and drive and drive back to their house in the city. They stare at the scenery, tummies full and hearts fuller, already missing the salsa, sausage, toast, tostones, (family), naranjas, bananas, (etc.) When they reach home everyone is hungry again and so Mommy mixes flour and Daddy beats eggs. "I" set the syrup on the table. Mommy's midnight kitchen has bright lights and plantain pressers next to potato mashers. ... The air smells like waffles. Daddy works the iron and Mommy forks waffles onto plates and their three little pollitos, hungry little chicks gobble them up.

Each set of endpapers has a seek and find. The front has West Virginia and the back Florida. You have to locate all the items in Mawmaw's kitchen and in Abuela's kitchen. It's harder than it looks. I like those illustrations but the people are awkward looking and out of proportion sometimes.

I truly enjoyed this book and it could be scenes from my childhood. The states are different and the food is different but the love is the same.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This unremarkable book describes an annual family week-long road trip (presumably from Baltimore, Maryland, where the author lives) to visit one set of grandparents in West Virginia and another set in Florida.

All three households (the three girls' home, the dad's parents, and the mom's parents) all seem to center around the kitchen and the food prepared & shared with love. Nothing else happens, but the joyousness of family is clearly communicated. (No harsh words, no complaints, no disagreements - so not a completely "realistic" family road trip...)

Brightly colored illustrations are done with a sketchy black outline and colored markers. In addition, the figures are blocky, a little off-kilter, & unconcerned with accurate proportion or consistency. Thus, they resemble children's drawings, which suits the content.

This picture book is a serviceable presentation of a multi-cultural family. Although it isn't stated overtly in the text, the back-flap says the author/illustrator Elizabeth Lilly "...and her three sisters grew up in Maryland in a mixed family, with a Colombian mom and American dad." (The family in the book has only 3 children total, not 4 like her family of origin, so it may not be strictly autobiographical.) In my opinion, people from Columbia, like all the people of The Americas could be called "American" - so presumably, Lilly's dad is *not* from any of the countries of The Americas, nor is he Native American, but rather his family came to the U.S. from some other place. He looks European or Caucasian...but this isn't stated anywhere...which makes me wonder why not?

That leaves the dad's family with a kind of generic culture that includes banana pudding, toast, coffee, sausages, & store-bought cookies - and the "let me fix you a plate" page shows a yellow cake, but no food is described on that page. In contrast, the Florida abuelos offer a long list of specific foods (and more specific activities, too). Clearly, these kids prefer the Florida family. The West Virginia relatives don't even try to have fun.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book is a 3.5 for me. With its exuberant, color-filled illustrations, created with pen-and-ink, colored pencil, and markers, this picture book will resonate with anyone whose extended families are spread far and wide or even those living in the same town but with very different customs and routines for mealtime. Narrated by one of the three girls in the family--the middle one, I think--the book follows the girls and their parents as they spend time first with one family--the father's parents in West Virginia--and then with the other--the mother's parents in Florida. There are certainly many readers, young and old, who can relate to that initial greeting from both sets of parents as they offer food, that universal symbol of comfort and love that often serves as a substitute for the words of love and affection that may not be expressed. The narrator captures small, quiet scenes--also shown in the illustrations--of warm kitchens, breakfasts, helping a grandparent prepare a banana pudding, picking fruit and learning Spanish from a grandfather, watching as the adults drink and dance, and then heading back home, "tummies full, hearts fuller" (unpaged), reaching home after a long drive, hungry for food, yes, but also, for affection, and missing those connections they renewed on that annual trip. These girls have culturally rich lives, which are renewed on these visits, but they surely experience a longing to have even more time with their relatives. The endpapers capture the journey from and to home and their two destinations as well as the foods, realia, trinkets and collectibles such as old-fashioned ceramic figurines, tractor cups, a rosary, and frog ceramics, treasured objects that fill the girls' grandparents' home. This picture book made me want to know the story behind this couple's meeting and marriage and how they are blending two very different worlds in their own. I'd pair this one with Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family packs up and heads out on their annual trip. After driving for hours, it is dark when they reach West Virginia. The dark midnight kitchen is warm and light as the children doze off. In the morning, there is sausage, blackberry jam and coffee for Papaw and dad. The children help Mamaw make banana pudding. After three days, it’s time to leave and head to Florida. Their Abuela hugs them and invites them in for food. The midnight kitchen is full of Spanish words, tostones, and flan. In the morning there is fresh juice and arepas. The house fills with people, dancing and music and snacks eaten behind the couch. The trip comes to an end with full bellies but already missing all of the food and family. They get home late, and their own midnight kitchen fills with waffles before bed.

An ode to great food and grandparents, this picture book explores the connection between food and family, creating strong memories that linger once you return home and can still taste on your tongue. Told from the point of view of one of the children, the book looks at arrival at night to each home, the transformation in the morning, and then the special treats shared at each place. The homes may differ in terms of food, faith and language, but throughout the emphasis is sharing traditions, spending time together, and eating.

The illustrations are a joy, depicting such warm kitchens and filled with small details that create a real feeling of each home. The end pages in the book feature the various elements of each of the homes, including the tractor cups, coal minor portrait and cat plates in West Virginia and the toston press, rosary, and little house in Florida. The deep colors, friendly faces and warm hugs shown also demonstrate the love and connection with all of the homes.

Warm, loving and delicious. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't love this picture book more!! The warm portrayal of a family trip, visiting both sides of the family is an experience that many children have. Adding to the delight is that family is a mixed one culturally, something very common now. But the universals of family are also common, love expressed through food and sharing and that aspect is such a charming focus of this delightful picture book.

The endpapers show the start and end of the journey, first to the hills of West Virginia where the family is offered blackberry jam on toast, sizzling sausage and banana pudding. On the family goes to Florida where the delights are tostones, flan and corn cakes. Love through food is something many children still have the great benefit of experiencing whatever the family traditions are.

The illustrations are a full charming details and done in pen and ink and colored pencil with long panels that reward careful viewing.

When the tired family returns home full of the memories of their trip, they end their travel in their own kitchen, clearly enjoying the creation of their own family and food.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let Me Fix You a Plate: A Tale of Two Kitchens written and illustrated by Elizabeth Lilly is a sweet story of family, food, and culture. It’s the account of one family’s yearly trip to visit both sets of grandparents, both of whom live quite a distance away. When they arrive late in the night, both sets of grandparents welcome them with food, fun, and love. Each visit is cozy and rich with detail, in both text and illustrations. Beautifully written in a lyrical tone, Lilly makes the reader feel as though they are part of the family get together. Artwork is saturated with color, detail, and quaintness. I love the charming end pages and how they give readers a peek in to the visits to each of the grandparents’ houses. Let Me Fix You a Plate is a wonderful choice when looking for a book about families. Highly recommended.

[A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every year, on a Friday night, a little girl’s family packs up the car and leaves the city to visit her grandparents. Their first stop is in the mountains of West Virginia, where Mamaw’s kitchen is quiet and quaint and the sisters stuff themselves with banana pudding and blueberry jam on toast. Three days later, the family packs up and drives south to Florida, where sticky weather and boisterous cousins greet them, and Abuela and Abuelo serve up juicy naranjas and fresh arepas in their bright and airy kitchen. Another three days pass and the family packs up to drive home, their bellies bursting and their hearts full of love. Reading this book is like being wrapped in a multigenerational gastronomic hug.

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once a year a family of five leaves the city and travels to visit grandparents from two worlds. In West Virginia Mamaw and Papaw welcome their family upon their arrival with a midnight snack of coffee and cake, and in the morning a plate of blackberry jam on toast and more coffee in a tractor cup.
Then it's on to Florida to visit Abuela, a house full of welcoming aunties and cousins who mix, and fix, and stir and laugh, enjoying more great food and family. Abuelo teaches the young narrator a few Spanish words which, on the long drive home, she will remember and reminisce over that and all those wonderful delicious family meals. Cartoon-like illustrations perfectly provide the gastronomic details of the family vacation.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy celebration of family, this story follows one on a road trip to see their grandparents. First stopping in West Virginia (a quiet, low-key visit) and continuing to Florida (much more crowded and full of activity), this family marks their travels with key memory-making dishes.

A book that made me feel warm, cozy, and loved while reading it. The only thing that could have made it better would be recipes. Another reviewer noted that this book would be great paired with Going Down Home with Daddy, and all I can say is, yes.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This charming picture book explores the experiences of a family with a white dad from West Virginia and a Hispanic mother whose family lives in Florida. As they travel to visit each side of the family, the children notice what is the same and what is different, enjoying time with their relatives and seeing how their parents connect with the people they come from. This is really sweet, and I appreciate how it includes Spanish words and gives the dad a specific regional heritage.

The Heart of Mi Familia is a similar book with a Hispanic father and white mother.

[Jared White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once a year a child and their family visit each set of grandparents, who are both very different and live in very different places. One set is non-Hispanic and lives in the mountains of West Virginia. Their house is quiet and a bit empty but filled with good food and time spent together. The other set is Hispanic and they live in Florida. Their house is filled with cousins, aunts, uncles, and neighbors and is also filled with good food and time spent together.

I like that this shows a multi-cultural family and that it contrasts some of the differences and similarities between the grandparents and showcases some of the foods from each culture.

[Maggie Panning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this look into the multi-cultural life of this family. You can see the differences and similarities between the sides as well as where the cultures meet in the middle thanks to a vacation to visit both sides of the family and then back home again. Many children come from blended families and this shows the beauty of it. This book is another good conversation starter as if our own children aren't in this situation they will surely know others who are in families like this and/or they have ancestors who were in families like this.

[Bre'Anna Parker Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me fix you a plate a tale of two kitchens is such an endearing story about what it is like to be biracial. In this story you get to see what it's like when the children travel to both sets of grandparents homes. It is beautifully shown how different yet how similar it is when someone is making you a plate. The food may be different, but the process and the love is usually very similar. I would love to have this in my classroom to show students just how the two worlds aren't so far apart. Great book!

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A celebration of family vacations, focused especially on the different foods lovingly prepared by grandmothers and grandfathers. Even though this story takes plus during the summer, it would be a great book to read for any holiday where family gathers to feast. It would be fun to have a discussion after reading it to explore the different types of food that families eat.
I would pair this one with Grandma's Tiny House by JaNay Brown-Wood.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young girl goes on an annual trip with her family to visit extended relatives. First, they go to Mamaw and Papaw's house in West Virginia where they enjoy foods like toast with blackberry jam and banana pudding. Next, they go to Abuela and Abuelo's house in Florida where they have tostones, fresh squeezed orange juice and arepas. Drawn from the author's own experience growing up, this is a lovely celebration of food, family and culture.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Lilly describes in words and illustrations the quintessential vacation trip to see Grandparents. A young girl and her family drive to 2 different destinations and are met with hugs, conversation and of course, yummy food. Let Me Fix You a Plate will enchant readers who love to visit relatives and love to eat! There are a lot of compare and contrast ideas to discuss in this sweet picture book for kids ages 4 - 8.

[stillme · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my childhood! My dad is American, and my mother is from Jamaica. The family dynamics shown in this book are almost exactly like the ones I experienced growing up. The connections through food are powerful, both the kinds we ate with our extended families, and the traditions we built as a nuclear family. But even though families may look different in the details, we are all so much the same.
ALA ALSC Notables 2022

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Holiday House Publishing Inc. through Edelweiss+.
Readers take a trip along with this family as they visit both sets of grandparents. The young narrator tells the tale of both kitchens and how the families live in them. Readers then see the kitchen at their home to finish the trip. Love permeates the entire story as the families visit.