Monday, February 10, 2014

Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash/Marisol McDonald y la fiesta sin igual, by Monica Brown (illustrated by Sara Palacios, translated by Adriana Dominguez)

Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash: 
Marisol McDonald y la fiesta sin igual 
Author: Monica Brown
Illustrator: Sara Palacios
Translator: Adriana Dominguez
Publisher: Lee and Low Books
Publication Date: September 17, 2013
View on Amazon

Source: Edelweiss

Marisol McDonald is a little girl who is comfortable with contrasts. She has one Peruvian parent and one Scottish-American parent. She likes polka dots and stripes. And when it comes time to choose a theme for her birthday party, she feels no need to pick just one. Her friends each want her to have a party that reflects their own interests: soccer, pirates, princesses, etc. Instead, she tells each of her friends a different theme, so that when they all come in different costumes she gets them all to mix and match. Soon Marisol's party is a "clash bash" fiesta of pirates, princesses and pinatas. Once her friends get into the spirit of it, they have a blast.

I liked the message of rejecting rigid gender stereotypes and enjoying all of the things you like, all at once, without worrying about following convention. But then, I hope I'm already raising my daughter that way. We've never been a family that supports the notion of "princesses for girls" and "sports cars for boys." As a matter of fact, Marisol's friends in the book would probably irritate me in real life. But I loved the way she accepted their own interests in still got them to try new ideas. We need more kids like Marisol!

The book itself is in both English and Spanish so if you're able, you can read it in both languages. I don't speak Spanish, but I was able to follow along just enough that I think Magda and I may have learned a few new words.

Magda's Take:
"I don't really think I would have a princess party or a pirate party, but I do like the idea of having a dress up costume party where everyone shares costumes. Can we do that? Everyone could bring their Halloween costumes over!"


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