I first came across this lovely little book in the Horn Book, a magazine dedicated to exploring children’s and young adult books and authors. When I dove in and looked a little closer, I found that the author was Mo Willems (of Knuffle Bunny fame). How can you go wrong with Mo Willems? But even further inspection revealed that the illustrator was Caldecott medal winner, (and Spiderwick Chronicles co-author) Tony DiTerlizzi. Sold!
I requested it from the public library and, as if I didn’t already know, I loved it from the moment it was in my eager little hands.
Set in Paris, The Story of Diva and Flea is a tale about an unlikely friendship between a refined, bow-adorning white pup and the more rugged but worldly black cat, Flea. Written in chapter book format, this book is appropriate as a read aloud for younger readers or as a delightfully illustrated treat for older children. The colored pen and ink drawings and chapter title pages do a marvelous job of capturing the essence of Paris.
If you’re itching for a book that will transport you to Paris, or if you’ve been to Paris and want to revisit it in your mind, check out The Story of Diva and Flea. You’ll love it!
Au revoir!
For more on Tony DiTerlizzi: http://diterlizzi.com/
For more on Mo Willems: http://www.mowillems.com/
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