Carmela Full of Wishes
Carmela Full of Wishes book cover

Carmela Full of Wishes

Hardcover – Illustrated, October 9, 2018

Price
$12.68
Format
Hardcover
Pages
40
Publisher
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0399549045
Dimensions
9.38 x 0.4 x 10.31 inches
Weight
15 ounces

Description

Praise for Carmela Full of Wishes : An Instant New York Times Bestseller An Amazon Most Anticipated Fall Book – Ages 3 to 5 An Amazon Best of the Month Pick October 2018 – Ages 3 to 5 An Amazon Editor’s Gift Pick - Ages 3 to 5 A Publishers Weekly Most Anticipated Children's Book - Fall 2018 A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2018 A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2018 A Boston Globe Best Children’s Book of 2018 Four Starred Reviews ★ "The award-winning team behind Last Stop on Market Street portrays Carmela’s Spanish-speaking community as a vibrant place of possibility , and Robinson’s acrylic-and-cutout spreads introduce readers to street vendors, workers in the fields, and sweeping views of the sea. Sensitively conceived and exuberantly executed, Carmela’s story shines ."— Publishers Weekly, starred review ★ “ Full of rich details, sharp and restrained writing, and acrylic paintings that look textured enough to rise off the page . . . 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. ” — Kirkus Reviews , starred review ★ “ Carmela’s journey of wishing, waiting, and wanting resonates on many levels ; an important addition to bookshelves everywhere ." — School Library Journal , starred review ★ “[A] beautiful book about the love of siblings and community. . . . A must read for everyone .”— School Library Connection , starred review Praise for Last Stop on Market Street : Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book A 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book A New York Times Bestseller “It’s also the warmth of their intergenerational relationship that will make this book so satisfying, for both young readers and the adults sharing it with them.”— Thexa0New York Times Book Review ★ “This celebration of cross-generational bonding is a textual and artistic tour de force.”— Kirkus Reviews , starred review “That material poverty need not mean spiritual or imaginative poverty becomes beautifully clear in the quietly moving pages of ‘Last Stop on Market Street,” a picture book by Matt de la Peña filled with Christian Robinson’s vibrant naïf illustrations.”— The Wall Street Journal ★ “Like still waters, de la Peña and Robinson’s story runs deep. It finds beauty in unexpected places, explores the difference between what’s fleeting and what lasts, acknowledges inequality, and testifies to the love shared by an African-American boy and his grandmother.”— Publishers Weekly , starred review “Matt de la Peña’s warmhearted story isxa0musical in its cadences…Christian Robinson’s angular, brightxa0illustrations are energetic and vibrant...xa0[A] celebration of the joys of service, the gifts of grandmothers and the tenderness that the city can contain.”— The Washington Post ★ “De la Peña and Robinson here are carrying on for Ezra Jack Keats in spirit and visual style. This quietly remarkable book will likely inspire questions… it will also have some adult readers reaching for a tissue.”— The Horn Book , starred review “The sharp illustrations — in bold, and cheerful primaries — get CJ’s restless energy and curious posturesxa0exactly right. The voices of CJ and his grandmother carry the story along in subtle point and counterpointxa0so that at this book’s quiet close you feel like you’ve been listening to a song.”— The Boston Globe ★ “With the precision of a poet, Matt de la Peña chronicles a boy's heartwarming Sunday morning routine with his nana.xa0Christian Robinson's uplifting palette and culturally diverse cast brightens the rainy-day backdrop.”— Shelf Awareness , starred review Matt de la Peña is the Newbery Medal-winning author of Last Stop on Market Street . He is also the author of Love ; A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis ; and six critically acclaimed young-adult novels. Matt teaches creative writing and visits schools and colleges throughout the country. Matt lives in Brooklyn, NY. You can visit Matt at mattdelapena.com or on Twitter @mattdelapena.Christian Robinson is a 2016 Caldecott Honoree and also received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for his art in Last Stop on Market Street . His picture books include the Gaston and Friends series; Leo: A Ghost Story ; School's First Day of School ; The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade ; Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker ; and many more. You can visit Christian at theartoffun.com or on Instagram @theartoffun.

Features & Highlights

  • An Instant
  • New York Times
  • Bestseller!
  • In their first collaboration since the Newbery Medal- and Caldecott Honor-winning
  • Last Stop on Market Street
  • , Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson deliver a poignant and timely new picture book that's sure to be an instant classic.
  • When Carmela wakes up on her birthday, her wish has already come true--she's finally old enough to join her big brother as he does the family errands. Together, they travel through their neighborhood, past the crowded bus stop, the fenced-off repair shop, and the panadería, until they arrive at the Laundromat, where Carmela finds a lone dandelion growing in the pavement. But before she can blow its white fluff away, her brother tells her she has to make a wish. If only she can think of just the right wish to make . . . With lyrical, stirring text and stunning, evocative artwork, Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson have crafted a moving ode to family, to dreamers, and to finding hope in the most unexpected places.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(308)
★★★★
25%
(129)
★★★
15%
(77)
★★
7%
(36)
-7%
(-36)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Donating this one. If I had read it, wouldn’t have bought it.

A little baffled by this book. Not the best morals in the story or perhaps it is just not for the age group it is suggested for. Reading to my 4 year old son I found myself making up my own story towards the end because throughout the book Carmella is giving dirty looks to her brother in defiance to him calling her “annoying”. She does so because “it’s a free country”. Not the type of thing I want to be teaching my son. Also, I completely respect the cultural side and difficulties we have in this country but trying to explain why Carmella’s dad can’t home because he needs to get his “papers fixed” is just a little too much for a bed time book and the suggested 3-5 reading level age group.
34 people found this helpful
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Exceeded my expectations! Another fantastic book!

With this being their next collaboration after Last Stop on Market Street, comparisons will be imminent. My first thought was to compare the two, and I decided I liked this one more. Though it’s not fair to compare the two because they are two different types of stories even if they are both told while traveling through a city. I especially liked the sibling’s aspect of this story and think that anyone with a brother or sister could relate to this book. What amazed me with this book is that each page has so much going on. Between the text and illustrations, there are many opportunities to discuss a variety of topics from this book. I loved the ending, it has such a sweet ending!
20 people found this helpful
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An afternoon that turns magical

Carmela is a typical little girl in that she wants to do everything her older brother can, she likes bracelets, and she likes to imagine all sorts of things as she wanders through town tagging after her brother. But in this story, she also learns something new. She learns about making a wish when you blow on a dandelion that’s turned into seeds. Things don’t always work out the way we want, but sometimes, they become magical in other ways. A good ending.

Illustrator Robinson knows just how to make a little girl stand out in a busy city and he gets all her facial expressions, simplistic and clear. De la Pena seems to know something about brothers and sisters and their invisible, powerful bonds. This book will make a good bedtime story or read-around at school, for ages 3-6, perhaps.
17 people found this helpful
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Disrespectful main character and no moral to the story

Not appropriate for young kids (under 7). I'm interesting in reading books to my children about positive and respectful communication between family members. Carmela is not kind to her brother and displays a bad attitude throughout the book. I didn't like that she was annoying her brother on purpose because "it's a free country" or using her one wish to turn him into terrible things. When I finished the book I felt like there was no moral to the story and even though her brother was kind to her at the end, Carmela never apologized for her treatment of him. On a positive note, the story is about a wish and as Camela wonders what she should wish for, she thinks selflessly and considers wishing a different life for her parents (one is deported, and the other cleans a hotel), which is sweet. All in all, the book left me feeling sad and like there was no point to my children hearing it. Out of the hundreds a beautifully written books available on diversity and immigrant families, this was not one I'll keep.
15 people found this helpful
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Too nuanced for a 5 year old to understand the plight of the working class

I get what the writer and artists were trying to teach with displaying a more diverse socioeconomic theme in the book. It wasn't lost on me as a 37 year old...but it was completely lost on my 5 year old.

Each page had several subtle points being made. Well done for a college paper...but not in a children's book. One or two overall subtle themes throughout the book to push the writers social agenda would have a good impact on my kid's world view. I appreciate that kinda book.

I got the strong sense that this book was crafted to target certain parents so they feel like they are 'doing their part' for diversity and social equality.

I give the book two stars not because the book is pushing an agenda, but because it does it so poorly.
11 people found this helpful
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This is an organic and authentic story to connect with across all ages

The story draws the reader in right away. The story conveys deeply understandable messaging and themes for any age to connect with and the book's themes continue to engage you all the way through to the ending. Messages of hope, belonging, caring, making things right for another person, and appreciating a child's authentic lived realities and the multiple social spaces for which children move about. Additionally, the book threads throughout the pages two key messages: hope and perseverance. The ending is beautifully written and the book leaves a well-rooted imprint upon you long after you finish reading the book. The illustrations give rise to the powerful connections made between art and text as these connections in this book compel the reader to cohere all of the elements of this well-written book.
9 people found this helpful
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Beautiful

Beautiful book - and while I appreciate the lessons being taught - this was a bit heavy handed for a 5 year old's bed time story.

I found myself skipping parts of the story, and making up my own. As an immigrant myself, I definitely skipped the "papers" part of the book - the last thing I need is for my kids to be scared that I wont be able to come home, since I am not a citizen. Geez.

This book may be more appropriate for an 8 - 10 crowd. Definitely not age 5.

The illustrations are gorgeous.
8 people found this helpful
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Great day time story book.

This book is amazing. It teaches compassion and empathy. I recommend it to all born with us citizenship. Its a great book to start having conversations about immigration and having rights. My 5 year old loves it. We live in an immigrant community, so these conversations are so important.

I've recommended it to all my progressive friends and those who need to be exposed to empathy.
6 people found this helpful
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Geared towards an older crowd maybe...

My almost three year old was not remotely interested in reading this book. As I was reading the story I realized what a downer it was and how inappropriate it was for a three year old. I can relate to the school of hard knocks life....but I don’t need to read it to my little one. I could see reading this book to an older kid, but not now. It’s lyrical, and teaches hope and an appreciation for all circumstances, but I won’t read this to her again until years later so I’m disappointed in this purchase.
6 people found this helpful
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Garbage

It's not in the least bit appropriate for a 4 year old.

My kids (2 and 4) lost all interest about 2 pages in, which is one page longer than me - so good on them I guess. Neither the language nor the story is age appropriate nor is it interesting.

This book is devoid of all merit. Got it as part of our Amazon subscription - will try to get money back.
5 people found this helpful