Thank you to Penguin for sending me this book. It shines with the same gentle brilliance as Last Stop on Market Street. I could not agree more with the Kirkus review that called it "another near-perfect slice of life from a duo that has found a way to spotlight underrepresented children without forgetting that they are children first." (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/matt-de-la-pena/carmela-full-of-wishes/) ( )

4/5 ( )

On her birthday, a young girl accompanies her brother on his errands for the first time and makes a wish, but not exactly in the way she was expecting.

When readers meet 7-year-old Carmela, she is scootering past workers in fields, excited to tag along with her older brother on her birthday. It’s fun for her, but it’s also necessary: Their mother works in housekeeping for a fancy hotel, and their father was a day laborer who is no longer home. As they run errands, Carmela plays the annoying little sister, but when she falls off her scooter and loses a dandelion wish she was counting on, her brother takes her to a place where her wish is carried further than she could have imagined. This second de la Peña–Robinson collaboration after Last Stop on Market Street is no less powerful and beautiful. It touches on immigration, class, and loss without belaboring each. And it’s full of rich details, sharp and restrained writing, and acrylic paintings that look textured enough to rise off the page. In one brilliant sequence, Mexican papel picado depicts what Carmela imagines, ending with “her dad getting his papers fixed so he could finally be home” and a cutout of a kneeling father embracing his daughter. It’s a bracing page, the best in the book, and just as sublime as the text.

It’s another near-perfect slice of life from a duo that has found a way to spotlight underrepresented children without forgetting that they are children first. (Picture book. 3-8)

-Kirkus Review

In this story a little girl uses her imagination and her special bracelets to make wishes before she realizes she doesn't need her bracelets to make wishes. This book might be good for 1st or 2nd graders. I think this could be used in the classroom by asking students what is something that makes them feel special or confident.

This book would be a great read aloud for primary aged students.
This book is about a young girl named Carmela who is finally old enough to go into town with her older brother. Throughout their day together, Carmela tries to think of the perfect wish to make, but she can't seem to find one because her day is already special enough because of her ability to be with her big brother.
I would read this book in my classroom because it is a fun read aloud book with a young Latinx girl as the main character and it shows the relationship she has with her brother. This book emphasizes the relationships between family members and the special bond between siblings.