LeoNora M. Cohen

Small Girl, Big Dreams

(Available on Amazon CreateSpace)

A small girl wants to be a beautiful princess in a gorgeous
gown and crown, but her parents cannot afford these things. They make her a magic wand from a stick, tying on ribbons and painting a star, telling her to wave it, wish, and work very hard.  The wand becomes her metaphor and she can imagine herself as a dancer, firefighter, princess, or later a teacher, poet,  and finally a computer engineer. Her home is very simple with no water or electricity, but she finds ways to be successful. When she graduates with very high grades, she is worried about reaching her dream: to become a computer engineer. She decides to apply for scholarships, which allow her to attend the university and reach her goal. At the end of her studies, the wand is exchanged for a diploma. 

This bilingual (English-Spanish) story in rhyme is beautifully illustrated by Sophie Doleman, a senior in high school and prize-winning young artist. It is set in the Mexican context, written for children ages 7-14, with the message to work to get an education so you can achieve your dreams. There is a dictionary of the nouns, verbs, and adjectives; a chart of educational levels in the USA and Mexican contexts, and a brief list to start searches for scholarships in both countries. A coloring book accompanies this book, allowing children to have the fun of making the story their own.

All profits from this book benefit Jovenes Adelante, a non-profit organization that provides university scholarships to brilliant but economically disadvantaged youth. They also provide laptop computers, mentoring, tutoring, English classes, peer support, and advising to help these students achieve their goals and enrich their communities.

About the Artist: Sophie Doleman

Sophie is a 17-year-old junior in high school, also taking courses at community college, where she works towards an art degree. She is primarily a digital artist, using a Cintiq pen tablet and Photoshop. She enjoys many art media-- pencil, pen, ink, pastel, charcoal, watercolor, acrylic, and colored pencils. She won the 2015 Congressional Art Competition Award, winning a paid trip to Washington, DC as guest of her US Representative to Congress.  Her love of art and its freeing effects lets her creativity flow, and allows her to show others the worlds and creatures she imagines. She hopes this book will inspire others to follow their dreams, just as she has.