I Gotta Be ME! Norbert's Big Dream by Lori Degman

NORBERT WAS A PIG WITH A DREAM.

Even as a piglet, Norbert was not into the usual porcine  preferences--slurping slop, snoozing in the sun, or mucking in the mud.

NORBERT DREAMED OF SWIMMING THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.

Eschewing swill, he beefed up on body-building foods. When other pigs wallowed in the mud, Norbert grabbed his kickboard, jumped in, and worked on his flutter kick. He trained all day and dreamed all night of being the first porker to swim the Channel.

At last Norbert's training peaked!

"I'M OFF TO SWIM THE ENGLISH CHANNEL!"

To the amazement of his lazy, layabout litter mates, Norbert squeezed into his sleek swimsuit, snapped on his goggles, and forced his trotters into his flippers. He was ready to hit the cold waters of the English Channel.

"WHICH WAY IS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL?"

Suddenly Norbert realizes that he hasn't a clue! He looked over the barnyard wall, behind the barn, beyond the trees.

Norbert's dream was a bust. Then he noticed his friends bustling about a sign.

[NORBERT'S CHANNEL]

And following the sign Norbert found a large body of water he'd never noticed and dived right in! Norbert was living his dream as he splashed, to the roar of the crowd, all the way to the far shore.

With great relief his porcine friends went back to their usual routines--slop, snore, wallow... REPEAT! But Norbert was made of sterner stuff....

And in Lori Degman's Norbert's Big Dream (Sleeping Bear Press), Norbert already has a new dream of being the first pig to plant his flag on the highest peak! And as we know, Degman's heroic pig goes whole-hog when he has a goal.

In comedic robust-style, artist Marco Bucci portrays Norbert in heroic acrylic paintings which reveal his dedication to his dreams. Says Publishers Weekly, "Using bright, thick, painterly swaths of color, Bucci brings Degman's underpig hero to vibrant life!"

Other humorous animal stories by Lori Degman are 1 Zany Zoo and Cock-a-Doodle-Oops!