Disclosure: We were sent Danny’s Dream book free for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links see our disclosure policy for more information.
Danny’s Dream tells the story of a boy called Danny, the fastest runner at his school, who suffers a terrible accident, he thinks his dream of winning an Olympic Gold Medal is over. No longer able to race against his friends, Danny almost loses all hope. Then one day he discovers something amazing in the old stone building at the end of his Grandma’s garden that will change his life forever.
Inspired by the amazing achievements of disabled athletes competing at the Paralympics, Danny’s Dream is a magical story about triumph in the face of adversity and never giving up. Written by Victor Margiotta and illustrated by Ian Parker, a mouth painter with the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA). The includes over 35 beautiful paintings and drawings the artist created using a pencil and brush in his mouth.
Danny’s Dream Book Review
When choosing bedtime stories for the kids I’m always looking for books that will actively teach them about diversity and inclusion. Our world is packed full of people living dramatically different lives to ourselves so I think it’s vitally important that we raise our kids by teaching them about the diverse world around them and outside of our immediate families.
The book itself is really good quality with large colourfully printed pages, I really like that at the start of the book there is a photo of Ian Parker painting with his mouth, alongside the author Victor Margiotta. This opened a great discussion with the kids about mouth and foot artists and creative challenges.
We really liked that the story told how Danny’s accident happened and explained all the emotions he feels about life in a wheelchair and the loss of his Olympic dreams. I don’t want to give away too much about the story but I will say that the story gives an invaluable and uplifting message about never giving up on your dreams no matter what you are facing.
Danny has so many supportive people surrounding him in the book, cheering him on and reminding him that he can achieve his dreams even if they are slightly different than his original ones.
We all really enjoyed sharing this book together, the kids loved the characters and the illustrations and we all really loved the ending.
What We Loved About Danny’s Dream
- The colourful illustrations
- The uplifting and hopeful message the story gives
- That the book teaches about diversity and inclusion and opened up important conversations for us
- The good quality pages and large format
Where You Can Buy Danny’s Dream
Danny’s Dream is available to buy from:
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