"My name is Marisol McDonald, and I don't match. At least, that's what everyone tells me."
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. And don't even think of asking her to choose one or the other activity at recess--she'll just be a soccer playing pirate princess, thank you very much. To Marisol McDonald, these seemingly mismatched things make perfect sense together.
Unfortunately, they don't always make sense to everyone else. Other people wrinkle their nose in confusion at Marisol--can't she just be 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' engaging acrylic illustrations.
Monica Brown, Ph.D. is the author of awardwinning bilingual books for children, including My Name Is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz (Luna Rising), a recipient of the Américas Award for Children's Literature and a Pura Belpré Honor. Her second picture book, My Name Is Gabriela: The Life of Gabriela Mistral/Me llamo Gabriela: La vida de Gabriela Mistral (Luna Rising) shares the story of the first Latina to win a Nobel Prize.
Monica's books are inspired by her Peruvian-American heritage and desire to share Latino/a stories with children. "I write from a place of deep passion, joy, and commitment to producing the highest possible quality of literature for children. In my biographies, the lives of my subjects are so interesting and transformational that I am simply giving them voice for a young audience. I don't think it is ever too early to introduce children to the concepts of magical realism, social justice, and dreaming big!"
Her other books include Chavela and the Magic Bubble (Clarion), Pelé, King of Soccer/Pelé, el rey del fútbol (Rayo/HarperCollins), My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel Garcia Márquez/Me llamo Gabito: La vida de Gabriel Garcia Márquez (Luna Rising), and the forthcoming Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/Lado a lado, La Historia de Dolores Huerta y César Chávez (Rayo/HarperCollins).
Monica Brown is a Professor of English at Northern Arizona University, specializing in U.S. Latino Literature and Multicultural Literature. She also writes and publishes scholarly work with a Latino/a focus, including Gang Nation: Delinquent Citizenship in Puerto Rican and Chicano and Chicana Literature; and numerous scholarly articles and chapters on Latino/a literature and cultural studies. She is a recipient of the prestigious Rockefeller Fellowship on Chicano Cultural Literacies from the Center for Chicano Studies at the University of California. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Flagstaff, Arizona.
To hear Monica Brown on Arizona NPR radio, click here or here. Find out what Monica Brown has to say about children's books and literacy here and here.
This book is flippin' awesome for a bazillion reasons, but here are the best ones:
1. Marisol McDonald is a little girl who unapologetically loves herself. Hooray for a book that celebrates a girl who LOVES HERSELF. YES x1000.
2. She's fabulous, biracial, speaks both English and Spanish, and celebrates both parts of her identity. Yay for a book I can proudly display in a multiracial library!!
3. When her friends don't want to play with her, she makes fun by herself. Independence!
4. The story celebrates individuality. When she questions herself and tries to "match", she discovers that the world is dull and unwelcoming:
"I'm trying to match," I say with a frown. "Why?" asks Ms. Apple. I can't think of a single good reason.
5. I LOVE that her teacher encourages her!! Ms. Apple, the teacher, gives her a note that tells her she likes her just the way she is. A thousand hoorays for a book that displays how a teacher can effect the self-esteem and success of a child!!!!!!!!
Proudly displaying this book in my school library!!
This is a realistic fiction book about Marisol McDonald, a biracial girl who doesn't mind acting or dressing differently than the other children. Everyone who knows Marisol tells her that she doesn’t match. Her cousin tells her that she doesn't look like him because she is brown, yet she has orange hair. Her brother tells her that her outfits never match. Her teacher tells her that her writing does not match because she mixes cursive with print. Even Marisol’s language does not match as she mixes Spanish with English. During art class, Marisol paints pictures of pink elephants with polka dots and eyeglasses. After Marisol’s friend claims that she would never be capable of matching, Marisol takes this challenge and attempts to match for one day. The day Marisol decides to match is long and miserable. Marisol’s teacher asks why she is trying to match, but she is unable to think of a good reason. When she discovers a note from her teacher explaining that she is perfect just the way she is after experiencing a miserable boring day, Marisol realizes how silly it was to try to change her personality.
Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match represents a variety of cultural groups and diversity within the Hispanic culture. All the good characters reflect diverse backgrounds: Marisol’s dad is Scottish, her mom is Peruvian, her teacher is African American, and her friends are also very diverse. Both the author and the illustrator belong to the Hispanic cultural group. The book has colorful images and short sentences, which attracts young readers. Additionally, on every page, there is at least one image that is constructed from a newspaper clipping written in Spanish or English, engaging readers as they search for the newspaper image. Young readers and children ages four to seven will benefit from the short sentences and simple vocabulary. Because it is written in Spanish and English, students from diverse backgrounds may read the book. Readers can understand Spanish terms because they are explained by the surrounding context and images.
Marisol is a character to which young children who do not want to conform to usual expectations may relate. Also, children who belong to multiple cultures may find comfort that there are book characters who also do not fit into a specific box; it is alright to be brown and have red hair. The book sends an important message: be who you are without fear of being different because there will always be someone who accepts your peculiarity. Marisol also encourages readers never to try to change their personalities in order to please other people.
This Pura Belpre' Honor Book would make an adorable addition to any primary library. In the story, everything from the Marisol McDonald's red hair and tan skin to her lunches of peanut butter and jelly burritos doesn't match. She feels pressure to "fit in" and "match" but realizes that she is perfect the way she is. This book is based off the multiracial life of author Monica Brown and her extended family.
"My name is Marisol McDonald and I don't match because...I don't want to!"
This adorable picture book introduces readers to Marisol McDonald, a Peruvian-Scottish-American, polka-dot wearing pirate-soccer playing girl. Marisol is perfectly aware that EVERYONE tells her how she doesn't match, she just prefers polka dots and stripes - at the same time. Marisol tries to match, but the help of her teacher, Marisol learns that it's best to be herself. When she "matches" it's just not as much fun!
This very fun picture book is a 2011 Belpre Honor Book. The Belpre Honor is awarded to a Latino/a author or illustrator who's work best portray, affirm, or celebrate Latino culture. This book's gorgeous and playful illustrations are marvelous. Illustrator Sara Palacios is absolutely deserving of this honor.
In addition to the very appealing character of Marisol and the gorgeous artwork, this book has the story in English on one page, and Spanish on the other! How wonderful for an English or Spanish Language Learners.
I read this book with Isabelle, my 5 year old daughter, and she loved it! Isabelle often refuses to match her socks (Mom, they're just socks! What's the big deal!) I think she found a kindred soul in Marisol. This book is fun, and a must for classroom libraries. This book would work perfectly in a lesson about being yourself, or as part of a multicultural unit. Lovely book. Enjoy!
Pre K + Multicultural Pre K - 3 classroom library must!
Marisol McDonald is a little, happy girl who doesn't like to match. Polka dots ans stripes, peanut butter and jelly burritos, and drawing with different media are some of her favorite combinations. As her brother, friends, and the school teacher keep telling her: "Marisol McDonald, this doesn't match!"(unpaged), she begins to wonder if she could actually match something! This thought nags in Marisol's head for a while, which makes her determine that "I, Marisol McDonald, will match" (unpaged). Everything looks very different as Marisol tries to match things. She is unhappy in her perfectly-matched clothes; the recess is no longer fun for her; her drawing is not as creative as it used to be. At last, Marisol can't even think of a reason why she needs to match everything. The thought that bothers her releases her at the same time. She begins to embrace her not-matching nature and appreciates such nature to make her different from others. This little girl, Marisol McDonald, represents many children who are from a diverse and multicultural background in nowadays' classroom. They are aware of their differences, and they needs to know the beauty of their differences. This bilingual book could offer an opportunity for young readers to think about the importance of self-acceptance and celebrating diversity. The childlike illustrations created with watercolor, crayon, and colored pencils with bright colors create an harmonious atmosphere that appeals to readers!
Audience: I think the audience for this book is primary elementary. Because of the observations that the students make about Marisol, I think that first and second graders would be the best audience for this book.
Appeal: I think this book would appeal to first and second graders because they love mismatching things, like socks and ketchup with eggs. They are experimenters at this age, but also very observant and not afraid to tell you what they see or think that is different. I think they would have a lot to say about all of the comparisons.
Application: I would use this book as a group activity to have them explain the differences in the story and compare them to things that are different among each other. With guidance from me, students can learn the value in their differences, and at the end of the group activity I would take out a giant piece of paper that says something like "We celebrate our differences" or "Same or different: we make each other great", something encouraging. Then I would have them write down or draw the characteristics that make them different or special, and then they can all see that everyone brings something different to the table which makes us all great.
Marisol is different, everyone tells her. Marisol likes to wear polka dotted shirts and striped pants. Marisol has brown skin and red hair and freckles. Marisol likes to eat peanut butter and jelly on burritos. Marisol speaks Spanish and English. Marisol no combina; Marisol doesn’t match.
I loved reading this book in Spanish to my bilingual children at school and seeing how many of them identify with Marisol. I identified with Marisol, too, growing up with a Catholic mom from a city in the North and a Baptist dad from the country in the South, always feeling like I don’t match, but never really caring. I admired Marisol’s courage in creating fun new ideas from tired old ones.
“My teacher, Ms. Apple, doesn’t like the way I sign my name. ‘Marisol McDonald,’ she says, ‘this doesn’t match! At school we learn to print and use cursive, but not at the same time.’
Remembering: Describe what happened at school when Marisol was indoors and outside at recess? Understanding: Who do you think caused Marisol to choose to wear matching clothes and draw correctly colored pictures? Applying: Could this have happened here at school? Why or why not? Analyzing: If the teacher had not given Marisol the note, what may have happened? Evaluating: Justify why you should be who you are no matter what. Creating: Design a poster to show the importance of accepting one another’s differences.
Text to self connection: I love how Marisol comes to find out who she is and not only accepts her unique qualities but comes to love them. This helps remind me that each student is one of a kind and may not dress in mismatched clothes or eat peanut butter and jelly burritos, but we all have qualities that are unique to us. It is these qualities that make us who we are and make us a special individual. It’s not just okay to be different; it’s amazing.
This bilingual picturebook was awarded the 2012 Pura Belpre Honor.It is written in both English and Spanish, and intended for children ages 5-8(P). Marisol McDonald is unique in every way. When she tries to change for her friends she quickly relizes that she is just fine the way she is. I gave this book four stars. Self-confidence and self-acceptance are the prominent themes. I love how the author celebrates Marisol's individuality. Although, she is much different than the other kids she is still admirable. The selection of watercolors used in the artwork is very true to life. The author offers some good ideas for how to use this book in a classroom setting. I especially like the idea of creating a puzzle and using each piece to display a unique aspect of the student's personality. This book is available in print.
I love how Monica Brown presents Marisol McDonald as a character. It is a realistic fiction book that positively highlights being multiracial. It shows Marisol being proud of who she is and both her Peruvian and Scottish culture and her colorful personality. Her father speaks to her in English and the mother speaks to her in Spanish and I like the way Monica Brown presented it. The book is also written in Spanish on the neighboring page but when there is a Spanish word being said in the English translation, Brown writes the same Spanish word in English for the Spanish translation side. The plot is rich because it shows a time where Marisol tries to deny who she is and is extremely sad because of it but her teacher is able to convince her that she likes Marisol just the way she is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book appeals to any gender, maybe more towards girls around the grades preschool to second. This book is bilingual so I think this would be great for ELL students, they could practice reading the english part but feel comfortable because there is spanish there. The story has a great message about being yourself and not letting anyone change who you are and the illustrations are unique because on each page there is a spanish article of some sort in each picture. I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was cute and very fun to read. This is a 2012 Illustrator Honor Book from the Pura Belpre Award.
A multi-culti, salad bowl of a character you can't help but love. (Since the melting pot idea is pasee, I went with the salad bowl metaphor). A great Spanish bilingual book for schools and family reading. Think Junie B Jones or Clementine, or any of those spunky young girls.
What is especially nice about this story is that she DOES second guess her individuality and tries conforming, only to realize she liked being herself best--in the end.
This book was an honor book in 2012 for the Pura Belpre Award. It’s a great read for young girls ages five through eight (grades kindergarten through second grade). This is a cute story about a young girl named Marisol who is not like other girls her age. She wears mismatched clothes, plays weird games at recess, and eats different foods. This book is very appealing because of its colorful pictures and relatable story line. I would recommend this book to reluctant readers.
Audience: English Teachers, Counselors, K-6th, Art Teachers, and Spanish Teachers.
Appeal: This book is great for counselors with kids who may have mental instability and a great self-esteem story. Spanish teachers can use this to read to the students in Spanish or have the teachers practice their Spanish. Art teachers can use this as a way of expressing yourself through art and being unique.
Appeal:Just a cute, cute book! The girl in the story refuses to be what everyone expects and is also a great combination of her parents. Great pictures and sometimes it looks like part of a picture is made from cutting up book pages. The story is told in English and again in Spanish on facing pages.
A little girl is told by everyone that she doesn't match. When one kid tells her "you couldn't match if you wanted to!" She sets out to prove him wrong, but doesn't find it much fun. Her teacher gives her a note at the the end of the day saying she is simply marvelous just the way she is.
I rounded up because I love the ending- of course she names her new dog "Kitty."
This is a great book for all kids because it primarily focuses on being true to yourself, though biracial and bicultural children will of course benefit the most from it. Since the book is bilingual and I like to read both languages to my kids, I would prefer less text on each page to keep their attention.
Appeal: This is an amazing story to use in a classroom to let your student know it is ok to be different. The story had a great story line and an amazing ending.
2012 Illustrator Honor Book Pura Belpre Award-Multicultural
Bilingual Spanish/English book... Bi-national (Peruvian American), biracial little girl discovers the beauty and acceptance of being "mismatched". Mixed media illustrations with several pieces of Spanish-language newspaper used in collage.
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match is a book written by Monica Brown, it is about a half Scottish have Peruvian girl who loves “mismatched” things. She has bright red hair, brown skin, loves to wear polka dots and stripes, having PB&J burritos for lunch, and being a complete fusion of everything. To Marisol, seemingly mismatched things are perfect together. Other people disagree with Marisol’s idea of being mismatched, they wonder why she cannot be just one, but she refuses to be put into one category as a Scottish-Peruvian American girl. She sees nothing wrong with being “mismatched” to her it’s perfect.
A surprisingly big issue with many people is the idea of interracial marriage, and biracial or multiracial children in particular. Being a biracial child myself I think that this is definitely a good idea to have a book that shows kids who may have parents who are of different races, different cultures, or different religions, that because they are "miss matched" it does not make them better or worse than anyone else it makes them different and it makes them special and I think that's a good way that Marisol looks at herself she realizes that she special and it's because she is Scottish and Peruvian American that makes her special the fact that she loves her identity as a "mismatched" person is something all kids should be taught is wonderful.
This children's book was really well done and extremely necessary because as far as I know there's barely any representation of biracial children in any form of media other than celebrity children. In the United States about 10% or so of marriages are interracial, and as of 2011 4.2 million children in the US are multi racial and it is the fastest growing youth group in the country and I think the fact that there's so far so little representation of many nonwhite ethnic groups in children's media.
Especially the biracial and multiracial youth group is very concerning. Another thing I loved about this book is that it was not only about a biracial child but it is also a bilingual story book as well it is in English and Spanish. And it's great if one is in a classroom with a large ELL population, and even if one isn't in A classroom with a large ELL population it's a good idea to have multilingual or bilingual books around so that the children can start learning another language.
I feel like many of the children's books I have read for this course often involve discussions of family dynamics and how things are far different than what the media shows to be factual and I think by having these discussions with children especially at a young age that things are often not going to fit in just one category and that some people fit in multiple categories. And that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being unique and different.
When it comes to practical uses in the classroom I think the best way to respond to this book would be to have the students create a cultural X-ray of the story.
The title of the book is Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match. The author of this book is, Monica Brown. This book was illustrated by Sara Palacios. The book was published by, Publishers Group West in China, in 2011. This book is realistic fiction. A special feature in this book is the English and Spanish text on each page. This book has 32 pages. This hardback edition cost, $17.95. The ISBN is, 978-0-89239-235-3. Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald No Combina takes place in modern times over the course of a week. The story takes place in a city. This is a bilingual story. This picture book is about a young girl named, Marisol McDonald, who comes to terms with her unique heritage and style. Marisol is of Peruvian and Scottish decent. She has bright red hair and dark tan skin. She wears stripes with polka dots and loves how print and cursive look together. She begins to question her own unique individuality after receiving many comments about her mismatching ways. Marisol’s teacher helps her learn a valuable lesson. Marisol McDonald is a great read for 2nd-5th grade. Higher grades may find this story too juvenile. Younger grades would benefit from this story being read aloud, in both English and Spanish. This book also presents many great options for classroom usage. The bilingual aspect of this book helps to make it accessible for non- or beginning English speakers. Teachers could use this book to begin a writing lesson about the unique qualities that we all possess. This book could also be used to spark discussion about mixed lineage. This is a great book about a very common topic in today’s society. Being of mixed heritage is common for many people in the U.S. For many years people were forced to embrace only one line of their heritage, today embracing your entire lineage is becoming much more accepted. The author is also of mixed heritage (Peruvian-American), and so drew on her own life experiences for this story. The concept of individuality is also an important topic for children to understand. Ms. Brown does a great job explaining is by showing how happy it makes Marisol to be who she is, and how sad it makes her to conform. She presents a great reminder for teachers and parents to encourage the individuality in our students and children.
Main Characters: Marisol McDonald Setting: Unknown City. POV: Marisol
Summary: This book is about a mismatched girl named, Marisol McDonald, who is half Peruvian and half European. Marisol's skin is the same olive color as her mother's but her hair is the color of carrots -like her father's. Whenever anyone tells her she doesn’t match she defends herself by saying that she likes the way she looks. Even her teacher teases her by saying her name doesn’t match, yet, Marisol tells her teacher that she likes the way her name looks. One day when Marisol was playing with her friends, she insisted they play soccer-playing pirates because they couldn’t agree if they wanted to play soccer or pirates. Everything Marisol does in the book doesn’t match. One day, Marisol’s Friends challenge her to come to school the next day matching. Marisol accepts the challenge and soon realizes that it was harder than she thought. The next day, Marisol wasn’t herself, she wore matching clothes and painted a boring picture. This made her feel sad. Her teacher noticed that Marisol isn’t herself and wrote her a note telling her she likes her for who she is. Marisol realizes that she is happy to be mismatched. Marisol believes it’s OK because she likes it that way. In the end, Marisol gets a puppy who is also mismatched with white, black, and brown spots all over his body. Marisol names it Kitty because she thinks he’s just like her, mismatched and proud.
Classroom Use/Theme: I think this book would accompany a multicultural theme very well. It is told in English and in Spanish so it would be perfect to use in a bilingual classroom. Many kids can make personal connections with this book, especially those who are of mixed decent. I also feel it is a great text to use to teach kids about acceptance, I feel they would learn a valuable lesson about being comfortable with, and accepting who they are and how they look.
Brown, M. (2011). Marisol McDonald doesn't match. San Francisco: Children's Book Press.
Picture Book
This book is about a “Peruvian-Scottish-American” girl who finds that her unique characteristics sometimes set her apart from her peers, making her “not match.” She likes to eat peanut butter and jelly burritos and has brown skin with red hair. She also speaks English and Spanish at home with her parents. The book embraces the theme of “not matching” and features English text on one page, and Spanish text on the opposite page.
After becoming frustrated with everyone telling her she doesn't match, Marisol decides to try matching for a day. She wears subdued clothing, plays whatever the other kids want at recess and tries to draw a “normal” picture during art class. She is not satisfied being “normal” and soon finds out that her teacher and friends appreciate her uniqueness.
This book addresses the issues facing multiracial, bilingual children without being heavy handed about it. Marisol is just living her life the way she feels comfortable, and is not concerned with bigger issues. Though this book would be useful to help address the needs of multiracial children, the issues that Marisol faces are universal to all children.
The colorful illustrations feature children of different races, and they also feature subtle uses of Spanish language newspaper clippings integrated into the drawings. In the back of the book, the author talks about her own multiracial makeup and how she was told she didn’t match. She writes, “My life (and I’ll bet yours too) is bound up with the history of many peoples, and like Marisol McDonald, I open my arms wide and embrace them all.”
Question: I would ask kids if they have ever felt like they “didn’t match.” This could range from being left out of a game at recess to having a living situation that is different from most. I would be sure to start off the conversation with an example of how I felt I didn’t match sometimes, so that kids would feel comfortable sharing their own experiences.
"Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/ Marisol McDonald No Combina" is a bilingual picture book written about a young Peruvian-Scottish girl. I would definitely recommend this book because it embraces being multiracial and multicultural.
How and by whom are perceptions of difference transformed and with what implications for future relations?
Marisol has tan skin and fiery-red hair, she realizes that the way she looks can sometimes confuse people. Not everyone is accepting of how "mismatched" she is and often tell her that the way she dresses or the things she does do not make sense. At one point, Marisol decides to transform herself and "match". She stops wearing stripes with polka-dots and eats peanut butter and jelly on bread instead of on a tortilla. When she arrives to school, her teacher notices she is not herself that day and writes a letter saying that Marisol is unique and should not to change herself. This letter brings up Marisol's self-esteem and accepts how different she is because her differences make her special. This book helps biracial students change any negative perceptions they have of themselves and develop self-love. This book also helps other see that there is nothing wrong with people who are multiracial because differences are not a negative thing.
How is difference constructed, and what does it mean for a character's belonging in an unequal world?
Difference in this book is constructed by the color of Marisol's skin, the color of her hair, the food combinations she eats, and the way she dresses. Marisol feels that matching everything is boring and prefers to live in a world where she is free to embrace all aspects of who she is, including her cultures. Marisol was pressured to be more like everyone else but felt lost as soon as she tried to change herself. She was constantly asked why she looks the way she does or likes the things she does. Being different means being asked questions that can sometimes put a character under an unwanted spotlight.
"Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match / Marisol McDonald no combina" was a very good book to encourage creativity among children. The book tells the story of a young girl who is a Peruvian-Scottish-American and speaks both Spanish and English. She thinks in a different way than others around her so they tell her all of the time that she "doesn't match". Since she has red hair but brown skin, even her appearance doesn't match according to her cousin Tato. She tries to match one day but it bores her and makes her feel sad. When her teacher asks her why she wants to match, she doesn't quite know the answer. After class that day Marisol's teacher gives her a note saying that she likes her just the way she is because she is unique!
I believe reading this to a group of students would be very beneficial because not only can they begin to think of their creativity but also think about others and their differences. If bullying is a problem in the classroom, I think that this book could help explain why being different or "not matching" isn't a bad thing because everyone is different. In class, a teacher could have children draw their own picture like Marisol's picture in the story which shows a pig with glasses and green polka dots and a pirate. The students can draw their own creative picture any way they want.
I really enjoyed the artwork in this book as well because it was very vibrant and colorful. I liked how the pictures had bits and pieces of what looked like a newspaper article as part of the picture. For example, the teacher's skirt on page 23 is brown but it has Spanish writing on it, like a newspaper or a book. These details are very interesting to look at and can be discussed with a class. It also had the story in both Spanish and English, which is good for ELLs who speak Spanish. It would be really cool if you had a student who speaks Spanish and can read some of the book to the whole class and have another student read it in English.
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match / Marisol McDonald no combina, written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Sara Palacios, is a bilingual book about a young girl who isn’t afraid to be herself. The book celebrates her individuality and ethnic diversity, and would be a great addition to any classroom.
After being taunted for her appearance and her eclectic way of playing, Marisol goes through a moment of doubt and concedes to wearing clothes that match and doing other “normal” activities. The book teaches a great lesson by showing that Marisol isn’t happy being like everyone else, and with the help of her teacher who encourages her to be herself, Marisol regains her pride and confidence in being unique.
Marisol is Peruvian-Scottish American. She embraces her mixed heritage and identity which makes the book a great example of multicultural teaching and a much needed story in a world where some children don’t often see themselves reflected in the books they read. It allows for minority and ethnically mixed students to feel a personal connection with the protagonist, and furthermore, ideally, to be inspired by Marisol’s confidence in being unique.
The book is mostly split with English on one page and Spanish on the opposite, but it also includes dialogue with both languages interlaced, thus representing the very real way in which bilingual families may integrate Spanish with English when speaking at home. The book includes references to images representative of Peru, Marisol’s mother’s birth country, including ceramics, llamas, and Marisol’s favorite hat-a chullo.
Illustrator Sara Palacios uses a mixed media technique of acrylic and newspaper collage that adds dimension, character, and creativity to the pages, artistic themes also reflected in the themes of the book! To read our full review including links to classroom resources, visit the Vamos a Leer blog at http://tiny.cc/vamosaleer
Book Title: Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match by Monica Brown
Description: Marisol McDonald is a Peruvian-Scottish-American child with brown skin and red hair. She is unique and creative, but never matches. She eats peanut butter and jelly burritos, mixes English with Spanish, and dresses in green polka dots with purple strips. In this story, she comes to know that she should like herself just the way she is!
Focus:
1) First Person Point-of-View: Monica Brown uses a first person point-of-view. She narrates the story through the character’s thoughts, feelings, actions, and dialogue. The focus of the lesson will be the character’s thoughts and feelings.
Teach:
CCSS.W.3.3b Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.
1) Prior to the writer’s workshop, read aloud the book. 2) Teaching Point: a) “As authors, we can tell a story from the first person point-of-view, telling the story as if we were the main character. We can tell just what the character thinks and feels! It’s almost like the reader gets in the character’s head!” b) Read aloud selected parts of the book, helping students identify Marisol’s thoughts and feelings. 3) Model: a) Show a model of an incomplete teacher-created story that expresses character thoughts and feelings. 4) Guided Practice: a) Allow students to help add to the teacher-created story, including thoughts and feelings. b) While still on the carpet, students locate a story that could be written with more thoughts and feelings. 5) Independent Practice: a) Students continue with narratives they have been working on. They attempt to incorporate thoughts and feelings of their character.
Expected Outcomes:
Students will make their stories more emotionally appealing as they deeply develop characters through their thoughts and feelings.
Marisol is a bi-racial child. She is from Peruvian and Scottish-American heritage. Nothing about her matches from her clothes to her personality. She loves peanut butter and jelly burritos. She likes to wear silly combinations such as polka dots, stripes and colorful hats. She even likes to play pirate soccer. Marisol draws funny pictures in art. Everyone calls her weird. One day her brother tells her, "You couldn't match even if you wanted to." Marisol accepts his challenge. She changes her entire personality. She matches her cloches and she eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and she draws normal pictures in art. Her teacher Ms. Apple notices Marisol is acting differently. She write her a cheerful note that tells her she is perfect the way she is! Marisol skips home happily. Once she arrives home she asks her parents for a puppy. They take her to kennel. She selects a puppy that is just like her, a misfit. The puppy has a polka dot tail, a limp ear and a tall ear and random spots.
"Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match," is a perfect book to read during the first weeks of school. It can be an anti-bullying tool.
In terms of literacy this is an AMAZING book. The book is bi-lingual. Students are able to read both the Spanish and English version. They are able to pick up Spanish vocabulary. Students may use this book to write about self-esteem. They can write how Marisol feels when she is called weird or someone says she doesn't match. Students may also use the illustrations to tell what is happening on the page.
The book is important to the development of characterization. Students can use this book to learn how to properly describe a character's emotions or feelings. This lesson will give students the foundation to create a short story with multiple characters. Students may also use this book for a sequencing lesson and create alternative endings.
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match is written by Monica Brown. The story is about a little girl named Marisol and how everyone tells her that she doesn’t match. Marisol has red hair and tan skin. She likes to wear silly un-matching outfits, eat different combinations of foods, and does whatever she wants to do. Her classmates start making fun of her for being so unique. Marisol tries to fit in with the rest of the class so she is more “normal” but she has a very hard time with it. One day her teacher writes her a note telling her how special she really is and Marisol decides that being unique is more fun because she can truly be herself. I think this book is great for young readers, especially those students in grades pre-kindergarten up to 3rd grade. This book can help students to see that not everyone is the same and how it is ok to be unique or different. Students need to know that they shouldn’t change because of what other people think and it’s more important to be your true self. This book would fit great in a text set about culture and diversity, which most definitely should be talked about in classrooms. Students need to know about other cultures so they can respect one another and not just think they are “weird” because they dress, talk, eat, or do things differently. As a teacher, I would give the students a cut out of a person and have them draw the clothes on them however they want. I would then have them share it with the class to show how different each student designed the clothes for their person. I would also have the students write about why they chose the colors or style of clothing that they did for their person. I would definitely use this story in my classroom because I think there are many lesson that students can get from this book.