Where It All Began: The Book That Started Everything
Think about the last time you took a child to see something truly big.
A dinosaur skeleton, maybe. Towering above you both, bones frozen mid-stride. And the child beside you, pulling at your hand, pointing everywhere at once, questions flying faster than you can answer them.
What did it eat? Was it scary? Could it see us right now?
That moment, that wonderful, slightly exhausting burst of wonder, is exactly what this book is made of.
The Question Behind Every Page
When we were thinking about what our very first book should be about, we kept coming back to one thing: Curiosity.
It sits at the heart of all learning. Before a child can be brave, or kind, or confident, they are curious. They want to know all about the world around them. It is how they make sense of the world. And what better place to let that curiosity loose than a dinosaur park?
There is something magical about how children respond to dinosaurs. When a child stands in front of a Stegosaurus exhibit, they light up as if it were the most exciting thing they have ever seen.
We loved that energy. We wanted to put it on the page.
But curiosity needs the right companion to build a story around. We needed someone with more stories and an indulgent soul, who lets a child ask every single question they have. We knew early on who the person should be, and it was never going to be anyone other than a grandparent.
A Story About Grandparents
If you have ever watched a grandparent with their grandchild, you will know there is something a little different about that relationship.
Grandparents often have more time. They are not rushing to the next thing. They can sit on a bench and watch a child dig for fossils for as long as it takes. They have stories of their own, a whole lifetime of them, and they love to share. And they bring a kind of calm, steady warmth that children feel very deeply.
In the story, Grandpa is exactly that. He walks through the park with Emily, answering every question, sharing tales about each dinosaur they meet, the kind of day a grandchild carries with them for a lifetime.
He is just there, and entirely theirs for the day.
Emily Explores the Dino Park is the only StoryVerse Land book so far where a grandparent takes centre stage — and it won't be the last. We truly believe this relationship deserves its own space on the bookshelf.
For Felicia, the Dream Creator behind StoryVerse Land, this book was a personal one.
Her own grandmother was the most important person in her life, the kind of person you carry with you long after they are gone.
That feeling made its way into this book, quietly and with love.
“Our very first book is a grandparent book, and that was a conscious decision. My grandmother was the most important person in my life. That kind of love, unconditional and patient, no matter what I did, deserves to live in stories. This is one of the ways I honour her for all she has done for me.”
— Felicia, Dream Creator, StoryVerse Land
What Happens in the Story
Emily and Grandpa spend the whole day at the dino park together, and every stop is a little adventure of its own.
She pretends to be a Velociraptor and chases Grandpa around the exhibit, both of them laughing. Emily visits the Dinosaur Nursery, where a baby Diplodocus blinks slowly at her with the gentlest eyes.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, Emily notices that Grandpa looks a little tired. So she suggests they sit down by the pond for a while.
It is such a small moment. But it is one of our favourite things in the whole book. Because Emily is not just curious about dinosaurs, she is curious about the person beside her and is paying attention.
That kind of noticing is something stories can teach in a way that very little else can. To remember to be caring to the people around you.
Their Name in the Story
In Emily Explores the Dino Park, both the child’s name and the grandparent’s name can be personalised.
So instead of Emily, it could be your child. Your little one, reaching out to touch the Stegosaurus, or suggesting a rest by the pond, and . Your child, climbing into the car at the end of the day, hugging a little T-Rex plush toy tight.
We have heard from parents about the moment their child realises the book is about them. The way their eyes go wide , and they point at the page. Or trace their name out.
Why We Made This Book
At the end of the story, Grandpa buys Emily a little T-Rex plush on the way out. She hugs it all the way home.
That image says everything, really. A child, tired and happy, clutching a small piece of the day they just had. That is what we hoped this book would give every child who reads it. Personalise Emily Explores the Dino Park and make the story theirs today.