The Story of Diva and Flea (Diva and Flea, 1)
M**S
Delightfully Cute Story for an Early Chapter Book
As you might have noticed, I’ve become a huge fan of Mo Willems in the last few years. I try to keep up with all of his books, which is fairly easy because he usually writes delightful picture books. (No, seriously. If you’ve haven’t read any of them yet, take five minutes to read one.) So when I heard about The Story of Diva and Flea, I knew I had to give it a try. It’s no surprise to me that I loved it.This is a bit of a departure for Mo in two ways. First, it is for a slightly older audience than his typical easy reader books. It’s almost 70 pages long and includes chapters and more words than normal. Secondly, instead of doing the illustrations himself, Mo asked his friend Tony DiTerlizzi to do them. Neither of these is a weakness in the slightest, just something worth noting.The story centers around the unlikeliest of friends, a small dog named Diva and an ally cat named Flea. Diva lives in a small Paris apartment and stands guard in the courtyard every day. However, she is very timid and runs away at everything, including approaching feet. Flea, on the other hand, spends his days exploring the city of Paris and living by his wits.One day, Flea walks outside the courtyard and sees Diva. While at first he delights in teasing her, soon he is spending his days telling Diva about all the things he’s experienced. As their friendship grows, they each impact the other in significant ways. How exactly will their lives change?While there may be some changes from Mo’s normal books, there are some similarities. We get the power of friendship and how that can change you for the better. That’s a constant theme of his Elephant and Piggie books after all. Both Diva and Flea are good characters (especially for a short book), and it’s hard not to fall in love with them.The story is predictable for adults, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t great. I found myself touched by it, and I’m sure kids won’t figure out where it is going. Not that the book is filled with twists or surprises. It’s just a simple, touching story of how an unexpected friendship helped these two characters lead better lives. It’s truly such a sweet book with nothing that should frighten anyone.Each two page spread is filled with wonderful pen and ink illustrations by Tony. His artwork is beautiful and brings the story to life in a rich way. Most two page spreads are roughly half text and half picture, so the pages will still go by quickly, encouraging young readers since they will feel like they are making great progress in the book.My only hesitation is a couple of French words that Mo Willems uses. He gives plenty of context, so it’s easy to figure out what the words mean, but beginning readers might stumble a bit over the French words and their pronunciation. Then again, maybe that’s just me since I’ve always struggled with foreign languages. On the other hand, Flea has some very fun misunderstandings of words that will delight young readers.So if you are looking for a great book to transition your young reader toward chapter books, The Story is Diva and Flea will do just that. Everyone will be charmed with this delightful story.
H**N
Love this book!
We got Kenny and the Dragon as a part of the reading challenge from school and started exploring all the other books by this author when we chanced upon Diva and Flea.The book is adorable, very well written , illustrations are top notch and our daughter loves this book.
C**B
Excellent book
The older challenged person I read it to and I enjoyed this book so much, we couldn't wait to finish it. Beautifully written and illustrated. I've passed it on to be enjoyed by a little one.
D**E
A loved book!
It was a birthday gift. She started reading it immediately and her mom told me she finished that day. She loved the book!!
L**G
My 7 year old Wants to Know when Book 2 is available!
I just started introducing my daughter to Chapter Books and this was the 3rd Chapter book we've read but the first one she loved! At the end of Chapter 1 she wanted me to continue and that was a common theme through-out our reading of this book. We just so happen to have a dog who looks a lot like Diva and a boy cat who does not look like Flea but our dog and cat are best friends and my daughter was delighted to discover another dog/cat pairing. The only thing wrong with this book is that we both wish it was longer so we could enjoy the world of these two pals a bit longer. Can't wait for Book 2!
J**.
Great book
My daughter loved this book. She’s a bit old for it but she adores this book.
J**R
A beautiful product
This is a gorgeously produced book, filled with beautiful illustrations. The paper choices for the jacket and pages are top notch. Really a solid product.
M**5
Great stories!
My 7 year old daughter loves these books! The stories interest her and make her want to read more!
M**Y
Love this story
Oh my goodness I loved this book just as much as my 4 and 6 year olds did. Right after we finished it, they asked to read it again
L**N
Fabulous book
I love this book! My son loved it and it was very popular with my guided reading group.
S**N
Fun with Mo Willems in Paris
Great fun reading to 7 year old Australian granddaughter who is looking forward to a Paris holiday. The animals are a laugh.
A**R
Love it!!
Bought as a gift for my granddaughter and she loves the adventures of the characters.
C**S
Fabulous book!
Fabulous book!! Beautifully drawn. Daughter loves the book and has re read several times!
Trustpilot
2 weeks ago
3 days ago