Brian Calhoun

In Brian Calhoun's children's story Little Joe Chickapig, the audience is introduced to Little Joe who is a chickapig, explained to be half chicken and half pig. Restless and unsatisfied living on a farm with his mother and other farm animals, Little Joe is anxious to break out of the confines of his environment and go out into the world.

Inspired by his grandfather who was "brave and bold" for going out to sea on a sailboat, he imagines his grandfather made new discoveries beyond the perimeters of the family's home. Wanting to experience the excitement of learning about new facets of the world, Little Joe is eager to go on a quest like his grandfather. He wants to know how his grandfather garnered the courage to break away, how his grandfather knew what was in his heart's desire, and where to find the directions to follow his dream.

Mirroring the inquisitive nature that a grade school child has, Little Joe seeks the knowledge of an adult that has experienced more in life than he has. He turns to his mother, a trusted adult for answers to his questions. She tells him of those before his grandfather who took the leap of faith to follow their heart's desire. From there, the audience falls through the proverbial rabbit hole and is taken along a ride, finding anthropomorphic creatures along the route who possess the emotions of humans with the appearance of animals. This trait is a handful of many parallels between Calhoun's story and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

The audience finds a bear who does the work of a doctor. A mouse who becomes an astronaut, and a dragon who leads a rock band. All of these animals heart's desires resemble the desires that humans have, wanting to be a doctor, an astronaut, or a rock star. These correlations engage the audience, finding relatable qualities in the animated characters. Complementing the individual vignettes are pictorials that are clear with vibrant colors. The illustrations aid the verses by inviting audiences to tap into their imaginations. The tone of the narration is conversational, and the AA BB rhyming scheme in the stanzas is winsome, enhancing the tale's allure.

Though the story encourages audiences to follow their heart's desire, Little Joe confides in a trusted adult before making a choice and taking a route. Her wisdom gives Little Joe comfort in waiting for the time when he is old enough to go off to live out his dream. The gist of the tale is that there is no rush for the young to experience new challenges, new environments, and new populations. In time, Little Joe will know his heart's desire, and someday, his story will be told by those after him.

Little Joe Chickapig at Target: https://www.target.com/p/little-joe-chickapig-by-brian-calhoun-target-exclusive/...

Press Release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJdB-u6LHVE… (altro)