MIAMI -- For months, a battle has been waged over a controversial children's book about Cuba.

Critics say the book shows Cuba in a favorable light, offensive to many Cuban immigrants.

The Miami-Dade School Board ordered "Vamos a Cuba" and the rest of the books in the series pulled from school library shelves, but a judge has put that decision on hold.

School board attorney Julie Ann Rico warned members they'd be on shaky legal ground if they banned the book, but they did it anyway. Now, the American Civil Liberties union is suing the school board, saying their decision was purely political and violates a Supreme Court decision that says: "Local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books."

Ana Rivas Logan, Miami-Dade School Board member, said, "I've looked at the book and from the first found it offensive."

Rivas Logan said she is willing to pay whatever's necessary to defend the decision to ban the books.

She told Local 10: "I believe we don't send someone into battle without proper ammunition. We need a good constitutional attorney to defend us."

Richard Ovelman has signed a $25,000 initial contract and will be paid $414 an hour to represent the board. His chief assistant will get $270 per hour, and a third assistant will get $171 per hour.

If the school board loses in Miami federal court and takes its appeal as far as it can go it will be expensive. One school board member told Local 10 that they have been warned their legal fees could top $500,000 dollars.

If the school board loses, it will also have to pay the ACLU attorneys fees -- which could also be sizable. That money would come from Miami-Dade taxpayers.