Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match

Book: Brown, M. (2011). Marisol McDonald doesn’t match. San Francisco, CA. Children’s Book Press.

Summary:            This picture book is about young Marisol, who comes from a Peruvian-American home. She enjoys the food, culture and languages of both cultures and creates her own mish-mash of interests. Some friends want Marisol to choose one or the other, but Marisol finds a way to value her bi-cultural heritage.

Impression:            This is a cute story about a young American girl, who is trying to figure out who she is. Is she Peruvian or Scottish? Does she like American food or Latino food? Marisol has bright red hair and looks Scottish, but speaks fluent Spanish like her Peruvian mother. Her mixed name honors both cultures and she doesn’t want to be held to one culture. She has her own tastes in art, fashion and games and that makes her stand out as different. After trying to be “normal” and feeling miserable, her teacher encourages her to be her own unique self. This is a good message for kids, to value their own interests and ideas and don’t try to be like “everyone else”. Also, kids can recognize the importance of accepting others for who they are, too.              The bi-lingual text in the book is a nice touch. The story can be shared with many students. The Spanish words in the English text offer a good way for English speakers to learn a few Spanish words. Also, the English words in the Spanish text offer a good way for Spanish speakers to learn a few Spanish words.

Library Use:             It would be fun to use this in a story hour to be read with two native speakers of English and Spanish. I would begin the lesson with teaching a few words in Spanish. Then, I would partner with a Spanish speaking student or teacher, who could read the Spanish text. We could alternate between Spanish and English, so that the kids can hear the languages. After reading I would have a discussion with the kids about how does Marisol enjoy both cultures? I would finish with having students draw a picture showing symbols from American and another culture that they enjoy, like baseball, foods, music, clothes, etc.