
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by Kristi Yamaguchi
Cover and internal illustrations © Tim Bowers
Cover and internal design © 2011 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover design by Jane Archer (www.psbella.com)
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems---except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews---without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410
(630) 961-3900
Fax: (630) 961-2168
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is on file with the publisher.
Source of Production: Leo Paper, Heshan City, Guangdong Province, China
Date of Production: January 2011
Run Number: 14022
Poppy was a pig. A pot-bellied, waddling, toddling pig. She was a pig with dreams. And she was a pig who dreamed big! She wanted to be a star.
Poppy had always dreamed of being a posh prima ballerina.
She tried out for Swan Lake, a famous ballet. But Poppy was not graceful. In fact, she was quite clumsy.
"Follow your dreams!" said Poppy's mother, who loved her no matter what.
"You go, girl!" said Poppy's grandparents, who were her biggest fans.
"Dream big, pig!" said Poppy's best friend, Emma, who was always there for her.
"Dancing is just not for you," said the people in charge of the ballet.
"Try something else!"
So Poppy tried out for Singing Stars, a popular chorus competition. She had always dreamed of being a soulful singer.
But Poppy sang off-key. And to be honest, she couldn't really carry a tune.
"Follow your dreams!" said Poppy's mother.
"You go, girl!" said Poppy's grandparents.
"Dream big, pig!" said Emma.
"Singing is just not for you," said the people in charge of the competition.
"Try something else!"
So Poppy tried out for Supermodel Search. She had always dreamed of being a big-time splashy supermodel.
But Poppy was not very glitzy or glittery, and she even tripped on her fancy gown.
"Follow your dreams!" said Poppy's mother.
"You go, girl!" said Poppy's grandparents.
"Dream big, pig!" said Emma.
"Modeling is just not for you," said the people in charge of the search.
"Try something else!"
But Poppy didn't know what else to try.
And as she wandered through New Pork City, she began to wonder if her dreams would really come true.
Poppy was about to give up when she heard her mother say, "Just follow your heart. Remember, we love you no matter what." And her grandparents cheer, "We're your biggest fans!" And her best friend, Emma, squeal, "We're here for you!" Poppy smiled. She knew just what to do!
When Poppy thought about all the things she truly loved---her friends and family were at the top of the list! So, the next day, Poppy invited Emma for a "pig's day out" in the park.
While giggling and strolling along, they spotted an ice rink. Poppy and Emma watched the skaters skimming and spinning, swooping and swizzling on the ice. Poppy realized it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Her heart danced with joy!
Emma saw a twinkle in Poppy's eye and high-fived her friend. "Dream big, pig!" she cheered. So Poppy waddled and toddled right up to the teacher and said, "I'd like to be a spectacular ice-skating star."
"A pig on ice?" the teacher pondered.
"Honey, I don't know if that's possible."
"Anything's possible," responded Poppy. "I believe in dreaming big!"
The teacher shrugged. "As you wish," she said. "We'll see if the pig's got pizzazz."
Poppy laced up her skates. She slipped and slid all over the ice. She fell.
But, this time...
...Poppy got up.
Over and over and over, she shuffled and stumbled and fumbled and fell.
But by the time the rink closed for the night, Poppy was skating more than she was falling. And it felt like...magic!
Poppy returned to the rink the very next day. Her cheeks were pink with winter wind and excitement.
She was so happy gliding and sliding and tumbling and bumbling on the ice, she didn't even notice that she wasn't perfect. And nobody else did either. Now, a most persistent pig, Poppy learned to twirl and swirl and to do dips and lunges and splits. Poppy learned to do jumps and spirals and lifts.
Before she knew it, more and more skaters stopped to watch Poppy practice---she was quite a sight! She even had her picture on the front page of the newspaper. Poppy felt like a star!
Some of her fans made T-shirts that read "FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!"
Others wore hats that said "DREAM BIG, PIG!"
And tote bags declared "YOU GO, GIRL!"
Poppy's dreams had come true!
Time went by, but Poppy didn't stop dreaming. One day, she decided to be a pilot. She wanted to parachute and be the first sky-diving pig. "When pigs fly!" said the other pilots. But they did not know Poppy. She was a pig who dreamed big.
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