Review and Giveaway: Diva and Flea by Mo Willems with Tony DiTerlizzi

Are you a homebody or a wanderer? No matter which lifestyle more closely resembles your own, you and your young readers will love visiting Paris through the charming story Diva and Flea by Mo Willems with its beautiful illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi.

Little Diva has always been queen of her front garden, watching the world go by outside her fence and always, always running away from The Feet, which seem to come in pairs. Big, scrappy Flea is a Paris flâneur, who wanders the city just to see what he can see, always, always avoiding The Broom, which seems to live inside buildings. This is the story of what happens when Flea meets Diva.

I loved this sweet story of two unlikely friends who have something to teach each other about ways to see the world and ways to be brave. No matter how different you may seem from others and no matter whether you're little or big, a traveler or settled you--like Diva and Flea--can find common ground and mutual respect.

Willems (or his wife; see the video) was very smart to have thought of DiTerlizzi to help bring the characters and the city of Paris alive on the page. One look at the artwork makes it clear that DiTerlizzi truly understands Diva and Flea; he has perfectly captured their personalities in his illustrations.

Share Mo Willems's Diva and Flea with a youngster or read it yourself. Then make space on your shelves for this beautifully illustrated book; it's destined to be a children's classic.

For more on the story and the collaboration between Willems and DiTerlizzi (and to see some of the illustrations) take a look at this short video.

The Giveaway: Thanks to Disney Publishing, I'm able to offer one of readers, young or old, his or her very own copy of Diva and Flea. And to encourage your youngster's wandering spirit (perhaps she too can be a Paris flâneur), the publishing company is including a child's rolling suitcase to start her on her way. All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win is to have U.S. mailing address and to fill out the following form. I'll pick a winner via random number generator on October 15. Once the winner has been confirmed and the mailing address sent along to the publisher, I'll erase all personal information from my computer. Good luck!



To learn more and to stay on top of the news

• Check out the Diva and Flea page on the Disney Publishing website
• Follow Mo Willems on Twitter
• Follow Tony DiTerlizzi on Twitter and Instagram
• Follow the hashtag #DivaandFlea on all your social media