!Barbie estas triste!

I was walking through our waiting room today at the Austin Child Guidance Center when a tiny girl came up to me and handed me a book.  She couldn't have been more than three, and after asking her a few little kid questions, I quickly realized she did not speak English.

She did, however, really want me to read her a book.  And that book was "Barbie's Gymnastics Lesson." 

I asked her if she might not enjoy a Dr. Seuss book instead, or perhaps an Olivia book. (We have a pretty good kid library).  ?el médico Seuss? ?el cerdo Olivia?  She opened the Barbie book to the first page.

OK, I'll read the Barbie book.  But you don't understand it, and my Spanish consists of what I learned in 9th grade from Senor Morales-Lopez:
" A donde vas, Tomas, a clase?"
"No, voy a la oficina."
This was only met with a three-year-old puzzled look.  Fine, I'll read Barbie.

Seems that Barbie was teaching a gymnastics lesson, and her child (perhaps it was a niece, or her ward, or Skipper, or Kelly) was upset because her friend wanted to practice with some other kid.  And she had just found out her uncle Ken was gay.  So it was a bad day.  But Barbie talked to her, negotiated a settlement, and then lent her some fashion accessories.  The day was saved!

All in all, a crappy little book.  One that my new little friend didn't understand a word of.  But when I finished, she smiled at me.  So I guess the book didn't suck all that much.