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Carmela Full of Wishes
CCBC Review:
On her birthday, Carmela is finally old enough to accompany her brother as he runs errands in town. Carmela rides her scooter and jingles her bracelets, annoying her brother as he pushes his cart to the laundromat, locksmith shop, and bodega. When Carmela picks up a fluffy white dandelion, her brother bossily informs her that she must make a wish before blowing on the seeds. Carmela imagines her mother being able to sleep in nice hotel beds instead of making them. She imagines her father returning home, “papers fixed.” Before she has a chance to decide on a wish, she falls, crushing her dandelion. Her brother guides her to the sea, encouraging her to wish among the thousands of dandelion seeds floating in the air. Earth-tone acrylic and collage illustrations show a Latine community, and Carmela’s wishes are depicted in papel picado designs. A typical, contentious-but-loving sibling relationship unfolds through a narrative that makes excellent use of descriptive language and varied sentence structure and length. Highly Commended, 2019 Charlotte Zolotow Award
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Economic Hardship and Poverty
Immigration and Immigrants
Kindness
Siblings
Diversity subject:
Latine
Publisher:
Putnam
Publish Year: 2018
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780399549045
CCBC Location: Picture Book, de la Pena
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