REVIEW OF ISY THE MAGIC DINOSAUR

Isy the Magic Dinosaur: The Great Chocolate Cake Race, by Gareth George, is an adorable and funny short story with a great moral just right for little kids.  Have you ever read or heard of a story about a magical dinosaur? Me neither!  And neither had this author – so how did Gareth George come up with this fantastical idea?  Well, one night, the author’s daughter, Isy, asked him to read her a story about a magic dinosaur.  He didn’t have any so he wrote this one for her.  How awesome it that?!?!   What a great dad, as well as author!

In this story, Isy is a young dinosaur who lives in a land called Dinotown, where all dinosaurs develop magical powers on their magic day.  It is finally Isy’s magic day and she discovers she can magically change things by shooting sparks from her tail!  It takes a long time for dinosaurs to master their skills and Isy has a few accidents, like turning her dad into a potato!  Haha!  Isy is now also able to compete in the Annual Children’s Great Chocolate Cake Race.  It is a dangerous race but the prize is a giant chocolate cake!  Yum!  Isy isn’t worried about the danger – she just wants the cake!  Isy teams up with some friends and they work together to overcome the obstacles. Towards the end of the race, the only remaining team ahead of them is about to be eaten by Jim, the most terrifying T-Rex of all the land!  Isy’s team could easily keep going to win the race, but they stop to help the other team (thereby saving their lives) by distracting Jim and using their magic together to get away. Isy’s team does not come in first, but the winning team acknowledges their help and shares the prize with them! What a great ending to a wonderful story!

This is a fun bedtime story to read to little ones.  The story is unique and inspires imagination.  It also promotes teamwork and selflessness without being preachy – it shows kids the importance of helping others in need.  It also teaches that if someone helps you, you should acknowledge that help and thank them.  Great morals to instill in everyone, especially young children!  The author conveys those messages beautifully in this story.

Please note that this story is best read aloud by a parent, teacher, older sibling or caregiver to young children.  The book has no illustrations (except for the cover) and a few punctuation errors – none of which are not noticeable when read aloud. This story is perfect as a bedtime story.

You can find this short story on Amazon at:  https://www.amazon.com/Isy-Magic-Dinosaur-Great-Chocolate-ebook/dp/B07HBB39PY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538418492&sr=8-1&keywords=isy+the+magic+dinosaur