Los Angeles Public Library Branch number 01 is Benjamin Franklin Branch Library located in Boyle Heights. It’s near Mariachi Plaza and kitty corner to Hollenbeck Community Police Station.  There are some great street art murals nearby, including this one. . .

There was a Women’s History Month board up at the entrance, which made me smile. I showed it to my daughter Riley, who didn’t quite understand the Beyoncé song reference. . . but one day she will. RBG! (Riley is often referred to as RPZ, her initials, by me and her dad by the way).

I love how libraries reflect the community they are in, with books in so many languages other than English. It’s something I love about Los Angeles. You hear any number of conversations in native tongues as you walk around the aisles.

A book I wish I had picked up  was La Madre Y La Muerte/La Partida just to look at the illustrations by Nicolás Arispe.

While browsing we found a couple books to bring home to read. I see this selection process like taking one or two grains of sand from a beach, but it makes me want to return for all the gems we missed.

The books that caught my eye were, I Spy On The Farm by Edward Gibbs (see what I did there?) and Little Treasures: Endearments From Around the World by Jacqueline K Ogburn.

I really liked Little Treasures; it had such sweet pictures with written languages and pronunciations of what people call their children in different countries. I got to practice at home and refer to my daughter as the light of my heart.

Paper pages are still challenging with a one year old, so  we do a lot of practice of being gentle with books. We will get lots of practice during our journey.

I have to say, visiting libraries with a baby who is not yet quite walking, but strapped to me — or crawling around the carpet stitched with animals and the alphabet, make librarians and patrons smile.