Marisol McDonald and the Monster: Marisol McDonald y El Monstruo (Bilingual English/Spanish)

In her third bilingual picture book, Marisol McDonald, who is of Scottish and Peruvian descent, highlights her love of words that begin with the letter m, except for one: monsters. After a couple nights of less-than-great sleep, Marisol takes control of her fear by making a friendly three-legged sock monster. Beyond the full Spanish translation of the story, Brown integrates occasional Spanish words into the English recounting in a way that feels natural to Marisol's daily experience ("If monsters were real, would they have mamis?" she asks her Mami). Her anxieties about the unknown are relatable, and Palacios's cozy mixed-media images never let things get too scary for readers with their own insecurities regarding los monstruos. Ages 5-8. Author's agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. Illustrator's agent: Kendra Marcus, Bookstop Literary. (Apr.)

PreS-Gr 2—Marisol McDonald is back and is as magical, mismatched, and marvelous as ever. Marisol loves Monday mornings, her favorite maestra, milk, mangoes, and lots of other things that begin with the letter m. According to her brother, Marisol is too old to be afraid of monsters, but that doesn't stop her from imagining the spookiest monster she can dream up. In an effort to take control of her anxiety, the ever-creative Marisol decides to make her own friendly, one-of-a-kind sock puppet monster, Melody, so that the idea of a monster doesn't seem as scary. But when she begins hearing loud bumps in the night, she convinces herself that her worst fear is becoming a reality: that there's a hairy, mean, sharp-tooth monster living under her bed! With the help of her loving and supportive family, Marisol faces her fears and finally solves the mystery. As with Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match and Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash, the high-quality bilingual text is slightly mismatched, but the inclusion of two glossaries will ensure comprehension in both Spanish and English, making the tale an ideal choice for one-on-one reading. Whimsical and thoughtfully bicultural mixed-media illustrations lend themselves to the relatable nature of the story. Young readers will be inspired to talk about their fears and face them head-on with confidence and creativity.