Norbert's Big Dream

The expression “when pigs fly” is given a new twist as Norbert the pig dreams of swimming—not in just any pond, lake, or ocean, but the English Channel.Norbert trains day after day and dreams night after night until he feels ready. Despite the snickering, snorting, and squealing of the other pigs, Norbert dons his gear and announces he is ready. There’s just one problem: where is the English Channel? If he can’t find it, he can’t swim it! Deflated, he strips off his goggles and flippers and plods back to the farm. Wait! What’s this? A sign with an arrow pointing to “Norbert’s Channel”—a stream on the farm the other pigs have marked for him. Ahh, a dream come true. But is Norbert done dreaming? Of course not. The last page shows him summiting a snow-covered mountain—presumably Everest. Bucci employs visible, broad brushstrokes and vivid colors to define the images and create a glossy patina. The technique is somewhat unusual, lending an eye-popping energy. While most kids will not know (or possibly even care about) the English Channel, they will find Norbert’s antics to get there mildly humorous, and they will appreciate his friends’ affectionate indulgence. The message of dreaming big is secondary to the storyline, but Norbert is no stick-in-the-mud. (Picture book. 4-8)

While most pigs are satisfied with lolling around in the mud and sucking down slop, Norbert has other ambitions: “Since he was a wee piglet, Norbert dreamed of swimming the English Channel,” writes Degman (Cock-a-Doodle-Oops!). Norbert “practice[s] his flutter kick” in the mud, “munche[s] muscle-building foods,” and endures the taunts of his fellow pigs, who think his idea is ridiculous. But when the time finally comes to put his plans into action, there’s just one problem: where exactly is the English Channel, again? Using bright, thick, painterly swaths of color, Bucci brings Degman’s underpig hero to vibrant life, capturing the gleam of determination in his eye as he does pushups and his happy exhaustion after collapsing into a haystack after a day of training. After Norbert nearly gives up, unable to locate his destination, Degman supplies a happy ending, though it’s an unearned one—there’s no indication of why the other pigs go from snickering and snorting at Norbert to celebrating him with a channel that lets him live out his dream right there on the farm.