"Publisher and executive director: Lorraine Garcia-Nakata ; Executive editor: Dana Goldberg ; Design and art direction: Carl Angel"--t.p. verso.

Marisol McDonald, a biracial, nonconformist, soccer-playing pirate-princess with brown skin and red hair, celebrates her uniqueness.

Marisol McDonald has brown skin, freckles, and hair the color of fire. She pairs polka dots with stripes and eats peanut butter and jelly burritos. She's a Peruvian-Scottish-American who is perfect just the way she is. Why not have a game of soccer-playing pirates or mix cursive with print? That makes sense to Marisol. But others seem to see things differently. When another student issues a matching challenge to Marisol, she has to decide if she will conform simply to show that she can. In this lively bilingual book, Marisol is brought to life in both English and Spanish through Brown's dynamic prose, Palacios's vibrant illustrations, and Dominguez's outstanding translation. This fun book allows readers to meet a wonderful character. Children get a glimpse of what it means to grow up in a biracial family and have other people trying to define what is "normal." The story encourages readers to embrace their uniqueness and be exactly who they are.

Grades PreK-2

Parallel English and Spanish texts = Textos paralelos en inglès y español.

Pura Belpré Award Honor Book for Illustration, 2012.