Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )

Bilingual, Family, Courage, Fear, Emotions

Marisol McDonald and the Monster is a great book that I enjoyed a lot. I specifically love that Marisol McDonald books are bilingual in that the author includes the English version on one page and the Spanish version next to it. I think that language plays an important part in this book because of this feature. The author also includes occasional Spanish words throughout the English part to integrate culture into the book. Words like "empanadas," "mami," and "amor" are present but the meaning can be determined through context clues and the pictures. These language features help enhance the story even more.
The illustrations help give more meaning to the book by vividly drawing out what is on Marisol's mind. When she mentions the monsters she thinks of, the illustrations help draw it out to pin point what she is envisioning. These illustrations also give the characters personality. For example, when it shows Marisol's room, you can see how much she likes mix-matched things because of the items found in her room and the overall style of it. Illustrations in this book also showcase how diverse her family is and I really like that no one in her family has the exact same skin tone or hair style. It makes this book unique. Throughout the story, the book mentions how much her family helps comfort her and assist her as she ponders about monster. The illustrations also show all the of the actions her family takes to spend time with her or help her feel comfortable, like when she's making dinner with her Mom or when her dad is looking under her bed with a flashlight. These illustrations emphasize how the importance the family's input has on Marisol's ideas. Overall, the main message is that monsters aren't always as you imagine them to be. Sometimes sounds in the night can just be other real life things, like a dog playing with a ball. However, it is important that your family is there to comfort you and make you feel protected. ( )

Marisol McDonald books are atop my list of bilingual reads because the way English and Spanish are woven together "makes sense." Instead of feeling stilted or taking terms out of context for translation, the story just flows. Besides that, Marisol is a fantastic girl! She can handle anything thanks to her creative spirit. MD and the Monster is the official car book of my four year old- he really likes to study the illustrations of Marisol and Melody, and expand the story himself. He even tries to remember the Spanish in the original text to use in his! Highly recommend for classrooms, in particular.

I received this book in the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review. ( )

My children all enjoyed this story and it became a favorite of my six year old. I really appreciated the use of a strong female lead with creative problem solving demonstrated. Also, finding a good bilingual book - not just a "100 words" style book with use of good language in both languages is difficult - and this is a great example!