Danny’s Dream | Proving That Dreams Can Come True

Danny's Dream MFPA

Danny’s Dream | Proving That Dreams Can Come True

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Dreams can come true, although sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

Danny’s Dream was created through a collaboration between illustrator Ian Parker, a mouth painter with the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) and author Victor Margiotta. Initially sparked when Victor watched the inspirational Paralympians competing at the Olympic Games. Having worked for many years and seeing first-hand the inspiring art they produce it occurred to him that if these two elements could be brought together, it could form the basis of a truly unique children’s book.

Danny’s Dream

Danny’s Dream (aimed at children ages 3-8) is a heartwarming tale with 35 beautiful illustrations, about overcoming adversity and never giving up. When Danny, the fastest runner at his school, suffers a terrible accident, he thinks his dream of winning an Olympic Gold Medal is over. Then one day he discovers something magical at the end of his Grandma’s garden that will change his life forever.

A double photo of a girl
Danny’s Dream illustrations by Ian Parker

This is a story that will make children (and even parents) think about how they can overcome obstacles and hurdles in their lives to achieve their goals. As the opening sentence says: Dreams can come true, although sometimes in the most unexpected ways. Taking you on a journey through the life of Danny, how setbacks hindered his dreams, however, he found a new way to achieve those dreams.

Featuring 35 beautiful illustrations from the MFPA artist Ian Parker, each one offers a visual insight into the story. As well as providing an additional discussion point for children and parents.

Where can you buy Danny’s Dream

Danny’s dream is available to buy in hardback edition from MFPA.

Foot-drawing and colouring workshop at Kidzania London

As part of the launch for Danny’s Dream, we were invited along to KidZania London to take part in one of the special foot-drawing and colouring workshops that were happening throughout the day.

Set up within KidZania’s theatre, children were invited to a special reading of Danny’s Dream by the author Victor Margiotta. It is always a little extra special to hear a story told by the person who thought of the words written in the book. They always have that magical connection to the characters and you can hear this in their voices as they share it.

A group of people sitting in front of a curtain
Victor Margiotta author of Danny’s Dream

After hearing a small snippet of the story Danny’s Dream we were introduced to one of the MFPA artists, Tom Yendell. He talked to the children about how he overcame not being born with any arms to learning how to adapt and utilise his feet and his mouth for everyday tasks. The children were amazed to hear that he can brush his teeth using his feet!

The children were then invited up onto the stage area to see how well they fare using their feet for drawing and colouring. With socks and shoes removed, guidance given it was time for the children to see whether this was something that came easily to them or something that would require quite a bit more practice – needless to say, they need to practice (a lot!).

A group of people sitting at a table
Roo assisting Tigger and Piglet in the foot-drawing workshop
A group of people sitting at a table in front of a crowd
Danny’s Dream Foot-Drawing Workshop with Tom Yendell

After the workshop, Roo, Tigger and Piglet were fortunate to meet with Victor Margiotta and Tom Yendell. which alongside the workshop has created a few more lasting memories for the children – and hoping inspired them to keep working for their dreams even if they receive setbacks along the way.

Tom Yendell et al. posing for the camera
Meeting Victor Margiotta and Time Yendell

About the Writer Victor Margiotta

Victor Margiotta spent a long and successful career in publicity, working as a Director with some of the world’s biggest advertising agencies. Following his departure from the advertising industry, Victor became involved with the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) where for many years his public relations and marketing expertise has helped to raise awareness of the organisation and given valuable support to the artists.

About the MFPA

Formed in 1957, the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists partnership is part of an international self-help association of artists (AMFPA) who paint without the use of their hands. There are currently 33 British artists and almost 800 artists from over 80 countries worldwide.

Danny's Dream | Proving That Dreams Can Come True

Danny's Dream was created through a collaboration between illustrator Ian Parker, a mouth painter with the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) and author Victor Margiotta. Initially sparked when Victor watched the inspirational Paralympians competing at the Olympic Games.

URL: https://www.mfpa.uk/

Author: Victor Margiotta

Editor's Rating:
4

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