Marisol McDonald and the Monster / Marisol McDonald y el monstruo

By Monica Brown

Illustrated by Sara Palacios

•             Age Range: 4 - 7 years
•             Grade Level: Kindergarten - 3
•             Series: Marisol McDonald
•             Hardcover: 32 pages
•             Publisher: Children's Book Press (CA) (May 15, 2016)
•             Language: Spanish
•             ISBN-10: 0892393262
•             ISBN-13: 978-0892393268

Marisol McDonald loves words that begin with the letter m—except the word monster. Monsters are scary, with big eyes, wild fur, pointy claws, and sharp teeth. One night, when Marisol hears loud bumps under her bed, she is immediately convinced that a monster is making the noise. Checking under the bed does not reveal a monster, but night after night, the bumps continue. When the bumps become especially loud one night, Marisol bravely leads the charge downstairs to find the cause. Turns out the monster making noise under Marisol’s bed does have eyes and fur and teeth, but it isn’t scary at all. It’s her dog, Kitty, playing ball against the kitchen wall.

Monica Brown and Sara Palacios once again bring Marisol McDonald to life. With her orange-red hair, golden-brown skin, and endearing individuality, Peruvian-Scottish-American Marisol learns to face her fears in this empowering story of harnessing the imagination and conquering nighttime monsters.

Marisol McDonald's Books 

Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash / 

Marisol McDonald y la fiesta sin igual

Marisol is turning eight, and it’s time to plan a birthday party that will be fabulous, marvelous, and divine. She also hopes that Abuelita, who lives far away in Peru, will be able to come to the celebration.

At the party store, Marisol can’t decide what kind of party to have. There are so many choices, but everything in the store matches! Nothing seems right for soccer, pirate, princess, unicorn-loving Marisol. Finally she comes up with just the right idea, and when her friends arrive for her Clash Bash birthday, a big surprise awaits. But in a heartwarming turn of events, Marisol gets the biggest surprise of all—a visit from Abuelita via computer.

In this delightful story told in English and Spanish, author Monica Brown and illustrator Sara Palacios once again bring the irrepressible Marisol McDonald to life. With her bright red hair, golden brown skin, mismatched outfits, and endearing individuality, this free-spirited Peruvian-Scottish-American girl is headed straight into the hearts of young readers everywhere.

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match / 

Marisol McDonald no combina

Marisol McDonald has flaming red hair and nut-brown skin. Polka dots and stripes are her favorite combination. She prefers peanut butter and jelly burritos in her lunch box. To Marisol, these seemingly mismatched things make perfect sense together.

Other people wrinkle their nose in confusion at Marisol—can’t she just choose one or the other? Try as she might, in a world where everyone tries to put this biracial, Peruvian-Scottish-American girl into a box, Marisol McDonald doesn’t match. And that’s just fine with her.

A mestiza Peruvian American of European, Jewish, and Amerindian heritage, renowned author Monica Brown wrote this lively story to bring her own experience of being mismatched to life. Her buoyant prose is perfectly matched by Sara Palacios’ mixed media illustrations.