"Dream Big, Little Pig!" by Kristi Yamaguchi

Kristi Yamaguchi: Olympic-winning figure skater, Dancing with the Star Mirror Ball trophy winner, and now...children’s book author? Yes, you read that right! Yamaguchi is trying her hand at children’s literature. Her first picture book, Dream Big, Little Pig! is adorable and full of inspirational messages. It’s enchanting and fun with bright, vivid pictures. Look no further than the cover, with the beautiful typography and pig on skates. There’s even glitter! Despite all the pink and purple, this is a book with a message so strong, it will even appeal to boys.

Dream Big, Little Pig! teaches children to believe in themselves and have fun, even when they’re not good at something. I love the way “pig” rhymes with “big” and is used with this inspirational message. The book centers around Poppy, a little pig with big dreams. As a child, who doesn’t remember dreaming to one day become a singer or a dancer or a movie star? Everybody does, even piglets. I love the fact that Poppy’s family and friends are so supportive of her. Every time she gets a new idea, we get this chorus:

“Follow your dreams!” said Poppy’s mother.
“You go girl!” said Poppy’s grandparents.
“Dream big, pig!” said Emma. (Poppy’s best friend.)

They encourage Poppy even when other people say her dream “is just not for you...try something else!”

After a while, Poppy starts to think twice about following her dreams, but then she learns that nothing is impossible. This book reminds me of the famous quote from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass:

"Alice laughed. 'There's no use trying,' she said. 'One can't believe impossible things.' 'I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. 'When I was your age, I always did it half an hour a day. Why, sometimes, I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'"

Children should always believe in themselves, and that’s the message they learn in Dream Big, Little Pig! You don’t have to be perfect at what you do. It’s okay to make mistakes. As long as you have fun and believe in yourself, your dreams will always take flight. Ultimately, Poppy doesn’t give up and she finally finds something she’s good at.

I truly love this story’s message. It showcases what Yamaguchi believes in. Her Always Dream Foundation was created to help children reach their goals in life and this book supports even that. Even her children had a part in helping her write her book. One of her daughters came up with Poppy’s name and her youngest daughter shares a name with Poppy’s best friend. There’s a lovely dedication to her girls at the back of the book encouraging them to dream, as well as a beautiful family picture. Yamaguchi also thanks Linda Oatman High, who helped her idea come together. The fun illustrations were created by Tim Bowers. This is a fantastic book well worth picking up despite the fact that it’s currently exclusively in hardcover!