Sponsored* by Kat Kronenberg
The Children’s Book Review
Dream Big is the perfect heart-warming gift of encouragement for anyone starting a new phase in their life—preschool, high school, college, and beyond!
Written by Kat Kronenberg
Illustrated by Stephanie Dehennin
Publisher’s Synopsis: Set long ago in the African savanna, DREAM BIG follows moody Baboon as he discovers a powerful secret. One by one, Caterpillar, Tadpole, and Flamingo gaze up at the night sky and wish upon a star for their wildest dreams. Baboon insists these dreams could never come true. But when he sees Caterpillar turn into a winged butterfly, Tadpole into a dancing frog, and Flamingo into a beautiful pink bird, Baboon realizes that a transformative power exists between the stars and the animals once they truly believe in themselves and their dreams. When Baboon tries out the secret, CATCH-M, his Magical, Mystical, Wished-Upon Star, whooshes down from the heavens to wham! ignite the courage in his chest.
Ages 4-6 | Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-1626343474
Available Here:
Book Trailer:
About the Author
Kat Kronenberg is a born-and-raised Texan with a BiG DREAM that whacked her over the head like a 2 x 4 ten years ago while she was at a symphony with her husband. “You need to write a book about the power of a smile to help people live their best life.” She ignored the call at first, but at a young age she endured the sudden loss of a brother, then a sister, and then a brother-in-law all at different times which sent her on a quest for meaning and mentors who have come out of difficult circumstances wiser, with a brilliant presence. The main attribute she experienced around these people was the warmth of their smile. It felt as if their smile came all the way up from their belly, through their chest, and would shine from their face.
An attribute Kat wanted for herself and wanted to share with others, hence the reason she couldn’t ignore the call. She started hanging out at every library and book store she could find, and slowly began creating what she calls a mythological fable. In her book DREAM BIG, the first animals in the wilds of East Africa discover A Powerful Secret to help them live their best life—To wish upon a twinkling star, smile big in who you are as you believe in yourself and your dream—As a result, the first caterpillar turned into a butterfly, a tadpole into a frog, and Kat experienced the brilliant presence she sought after as she wrote DREAM BIG even amidst the heartbreaking loss of both of her parents. A strange, backdoor gift for her to realize and know first hand that the secret the animals in Africa discovered really does help us live our best life no matter what circumstances we face. “A smile is,” as Kat now explains, “A U-SHAPED BRIDGE that can connect us to everything – our head to our hearts, our lives to one another, and our dreams to the power of something GREATER!”
More information about Kat Kronenberg can be found at www.katkronenberg.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
About the Illustrator
Stephanie Dehennin was born in Antwerp, Belgium, but soon moved to the Flemish countryside where she spent several wonderful years playing hide and seek in cornfields and reading children’s books from dusk till dawn. After studying illustrations at Saint-Luc in Ghent, and briefly working as an Art Director in the magazine world, she decided to dedicate her career to drawing and painting for children.
Thank you for reading the Dream Big book spotlight.