“Lights, Camera, Carmen!” tells the story of Carmen’s big dream to be on television. She wants to audition for a cereal commercial and asked her little brother Eduardo for help. But, it turns out that the cereal company would rather have Eduardo be the star of the commercial! The book is funny and engaging. There are also Spnaish phrases throughout the text. I think this book shares a valuable lesson that many students should hear. It is okay to celebrate other people’s accomplishment without feeling like we failed. ( )

This story is all about Carmen who wants to be commercial star after she finds information about a cereal commercial. When she submits her video, her brother gets the staring role and not her. I really liked this book because it shows unconditional love and that you shouldnt resent others for having things of winning things that you dont. Text on each page was kept short and illustrations were colorful to keep the readers attention. Its a very cute story. ( )

Carmen loves the spotlight and wants to audition for a cereal commercial. She enlists her brother to help her film it, only to find out that the cereal company wants her brother in the commercial instead of her. I thought this was a cute and humorous read. The illustrations are vibrant and allow children to be more engaged with the text. I also love how the author sprinkled Spanish words throughout the book, making it feel authentic to a Latin American household. It would be very relatable for any young children who feel they also have to share the spotlight with a sibling. ( )

This story I really enjoyed it makes for a great read aloud to a class of students. The teacher or students can use different voices for the different characters and try to talk in a Spanish accent. This is a story most children can relate to wanting to be on stage and the center of attention. Carmen tries out to be a star on a commercial but her brother ends up getting the part. At first she is mad but then realizes how she can still be a part of it and is happy for him. ( )

That endearing young drama queen, Carmen, returns in this second picture-book devoted to her adventures, following upon her debut in Starring Carmen! Inspired to try out for the Dino-Krispies television commercial, Carmen is sure she's about to launch a career in film, pressing her young brother Eduardo into the role of cinematographer. But when Eduardo inadvertently steals the show, landing the role in the commercial instead, Carmen must once again learn how to share the spotlight...

Like its predecessor, Lights, Camera, Carmen! features an entertaining and ultimately heartwarming family tale from author Anika Denise, and vividly colorful, appealing artwork from illustrator Lorena Alvarez Gómez. I see that Carmen is being compared to such figures as Fancy Nancy and Eloise, which makes sense. For my part, I think she also bears some resemblance to Tallulah, the young would-be ballerina in Marilyn Singer and Alexandra Boiger's picture-book series. Both young girls long to stand out, both young girls have younger brothers who sometimes steal the show, and both young girls are essentially goodhearted, eventually getting over their feelings of jealousy. Recommended to anyone who enjoyed the first book about Carmen, and to anyone looking for stories about little girls who long to be stars. ( )