The Dreamer

PreS-Gr 3—"When pigs fly" takes on a whole new meaning in this fable about an aquamarine pig who dreams of flying with the birds he so admires. He studies, gathers materials, and tirelessly experiments. After an Isaac Newton—esque moment, he is hopeful; his friends come to help. He takes their advice to heart and finally creates a flying machine right out of Kitty Hawk. Emboldened, he shoots for the moon in a rocket ship. His friends also take flight—a panda in a hot air balloon, an octopus in a flying saucer, a fox with a jetpack. Still, in the end, sometimes it's nice to just admire the birds. Inspired by the author's own trials and errors in creating children's books, this offering is both whimsical and thought-provoking. The digitally composed ink-and—colored pencil illustrations feature pink elephants and green horses often against cream pages. One spread depicts the pig studying a chalkboard covered with diagrams and formulas; the front endpapers are filled with gray birds flying in different poses. On the back endpapers, observant readers will note the little pig amidst the birds, a feather in each hoof. Use in maker units or as an original modern fable.