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The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems and Tony DiTerlizzi Book Review

The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems and Tony DiTerlizzi
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: October 13, 2015

Diva is a small dog who lives at 11 avenue Le Play in Paris, France. Her whole world is her home and the courtyard right outside. That is until she meets Flea, a streetwise wandering flaneur who has traveled all of Paris and shows Diva world beyond her little courtyard.

A kind of Lady and the Tramp story sans the romance, with a hint of Aristocats, and a smidgen of Oliver & Co., this is the tale of friendship, boundaries, and bravery. A simple chapter book that may be a bit challenging for its targeted audience, but no less captivating in its telling. Diva and Flea, despite being very different challenge each other to do things that make them uncomfortable. What each discover is a world they couldn't imagine. Diva sees the Eiffel Tower for the first time and faces her fear of feet. You would be afraid of feet too if you were a very little dog. Flea, always having been an outdoor cat, cannot imagine an indoor world where food is brought to him whenever he pleases. I love these two characters and there is definitely the usual Mo Willems humor. More than that though are the beautiful four color illustrations. I am a bit confused as to who did the illustrations since both authors are also illustrators, so we will just assume that they worked on the illustrations together.  Kids are going to fall in love with this little duo and I am really hoping to see more adventures from Diva and Flea in the future.



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