Spike, the Mixed-up Monster

Meet Spike, a lovable monsterand a real-life salamanderwho's looking for friends in this lively picture book that includes Spanish vocabulary. Spike is a scary-looking salamander who keeps trying to frighten other animalsuntil he finds that using fear is not the best way to make friends. And since Spike lives in Mexico (he is an endangered species called the axolotl), this story is peppered with easy-to-understand Spanish words. In addition to a charming tale of friendship, this picture book contains nonfiction information about the axolotl and a Spanish/English glossary.

Susan Hood is the author of more than 200 books for children. A former content director of Nick Jr. Magazine and children’s book editor, she has written for parents and early childhood educators in The New York Times, Nick’s ParentsConnect, Sesame Street Parent Guide, Working Mother, and more.

Melissa Sweet has illustrated more than eighty children’s books, including the Caldecott Honor book A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant. She also wrote and illustrated Tupelo Rides the Rails; Carmine: A Little More Red, which was a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book; and Balloons Over Broadway, a picture book biography that was named a 2011 Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction Picture Book. She lives with her family in Rockport, Maine.