Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña Illustrator Christian Robinson

 

Title: Carmela Full of Wishes

Author: Matt de la Peña

Illustrator: Christian Robinson

Genre: Fiction, Children Literature, Multicultural

Major Awards: Award Winning Picture-book

Ages: 4-8 Years old

Summary:

This story is about a girl named Carmela, who one day awoke to candles in her pancakes and her mother sang to her the Happy Birthday song. Before, Carmela blew her birthday candle, her mother told Carmela to make a birthday wish. Carmela, however, told her mother that her wish had already come true. Carmela had wished to be able to go out with her older brother. Now, that she is old enough, Carmela's wish had come true. As Carmela went out with her older brother, she tried making small talks with her older brother, but he would not try to make small talks back because he did not want her tagging along. For every little thing that would bother Carmela's brother, she would tell him too bad. Carmela went to the laundry mat with her older brother, and she would annoy him. Nevertheless, Carmela wore many bracelets on her wrist in which she would jingle every where she had went.The only time Carmela did not jingle her bracelets was when her brother went to his friend's house because she was too busy imagining things and staring at a dandelion she had picked up. Carmela had thought that holding a dandelion on her hand was the perfect opportunity to make a wish. So, she took it with her when her brother came out from his friend's house, until her dandelion fell onto the ground and she began to cry. Carmela had depended her wish on the dandelion. Carmela's older brother then, took Carmela by her arm and told her to close her eyes. By an abandon farmhouse she had made a wish. Her brother was in a hurry to leave and he told her to not tell him her wish, otherwise it would not come true.

Book Evaluation:

1) I would recommend this book to my class because it is also another way to get to know your students. This can give them the opportunity to express what interest them and what wishes do they have.

2) I would recommend this book for grade level Pre-Kinder to Third grade level. 

3) I would use this book in the unit of Language Arts. I would give them the opportunity to share their personal experiences based on the wishes that may have come true. I would also give them the opportunity to share on the wishes in which they are still being hopeful of.