las mariposas

I read a fantastic book a few weeks ago. Lately I've borrowed a LOT of stinkers from the library. Going to the library is a big event for my family, we have a lot of area to cover.

First we go to the "board book" section where Brick ignores all my suggestions and repeatedly asks me to get books based on Disney cartoons. I repeatedly reply, "this is against my rules, please pick something else, and please hurry up!" I randomly pick up colorful board books for Houdini, which he looks at for 3.4 seconds and then throws on the floor.

Then we go to the "easy reader" section for Proto. He takes an excruciatingly slow amount of time picking out just exactly what vampire/monster/mystery book he wants. He ignores all my suggestions for a good book.

Then we head to the "big kid" books where Rooney wants to look up things on the library computer and also ignores all my suggestions for a good read. Hootis generally heads straight for the craft books. She rarely ever actually does any of these crafts, she just likes to lug home BIG and HEAVY books. She will usually believe me when I suggest a book for actual reading. How come she's the only one who knows that I know things?

By this time my patience is wearing thin and Houdini is trying to houdini himself out of the stroller. We go the the other side of the library which involves me telling the kids "SHUSSSSSH!!" over and over while we walk through the adult sections and and an elevator ride to the bottom floor. My usual method is to wander the stacks looking for some title or cover that peaks my interest. I realize that this is a totally lame method of picking books since there are probably a LOT of books without an interesting title or cover picture, and while this method appeals to my laziness, it usually stings me in the end. Or sometimes, if I am ready to explode and the kids are "whispering" in the loudest voices ever, I will just go directly to the section full of books that the librarians suggest, grab a couple and get OUT of there.

Fortunately, this amazing book is an exception to all the stinkers! I highly recommend it, but will not spoil the plot for you. Just go GET it!

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez