Next to the arroyo a seedpod grows on the yerba de la flecha, a desert shrub. The seedpod is made of smaller pods, each a bean that is Not a Bean. On a bright and early morning, una oruga - a wiggly catterpillar - burrows into the seedpod. The caterpillar eats the inside of its pod and drinks the water that seeps in. Later, the seedpod dries and hardens. It splits and falls to the ground. Midmorning, dos saguaros hold prickly arms up high as el sol scorches everything in sight. The caterpillar inside the Not a Bean rolls it into the shade. Excerpted from Not a Bean by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, Laura Gonzalez All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
