'Little Joe Chickapig: A Story About Following Your Dreams'

March 7, 2019

by rebecca stewart

For just a few more days, you can take advantage of the online pre-sale of Brian Calhoun's Little Joe Chickapig: A Story About Following Your Dreams, illustrated by Pat Bradley and Brian Calhoun. This special tale is available exclusively at Target.com for pre-sale, ahead of its March 10, 2019 launch. We were lucky enough to preview a copy and it more than delivers on its promised message: Follow your dreams, whatever they may be.

The story opens with the definition of a Chickapig - "An animal hybrid that is half-chicken and half-pig." From there we are introduced to Little Joe Chickapig where he tells his tale, through gentle rhyme, of wanting to follow his dreams, but wondering how he could do it, never mind where to start. His dream is to leave a farm full of chickapigs "with its crops and fields, and cows that poo'd," to sail vast oceans with swords and shields. As Joe thinks of his grandpa who was "brave and bold...who broke the mold," we find him wondering how he (and then others that his mother tells him about) and each of these individuals knew to follow their heart - to look outside the box when following their dream. We go on to meet a bear who's tired of being feared and becomes a caretaker (doctor) to the animals around him, an astronaut mouse (if you can believe it!), a rocking dragon who gave up her kingdom to follow her musical dream, before coming full circle to the story that brought the chickapigs to the farm in the first place. The illustrations are the perfect complement to the story, and you'll want to encourage your little to point out the cow tucked in to each page. Consider giving the story a pre-read before sharing with your little, so you can pick up the cadence of the rhymes to deliver your best version on the debut read.

Here are 5 Life Lessons to take from the book:

Always follow your heart, even when it goes against the tide.
You will find courage in unlikely places.
Be brave and bold.
Write your own story.
Listen to your elders, there’s much to learn from those who have been there, done that.

Ages: 0-100
MSRP: $9.99
Available for pre-sale online now for 3/10/19 launch: Target.com

Rebecca Stewart

Just a girl who loves her family with every last bit of her heart while striving to put the words (real or made up) in all the pretty places.

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