about the book
Diva is a small dog, wearing her collar in a fancy bow, who lives at 11 avenue le Play in Paris, France. She takes her job of guarding her apartment building very seriously, so seriously that she has never stepped foot outside it or its gated courtyard.
Flea, a black alley cat with no permanent home, is a flâneur. That is, he takes the world as it comes, seeking out new adventures every day. He is scared of brooms, which have often shooed him away.
One day, Flea happens upon Diva as she is out in the apartment courtyard. His appearance scares Diva, and she barks and runs away—much to Flea’s amusement! Flea returns day after day, and slowly Diva learns that he is no threat, although it hurts her feelings that he would tease her so. Flea feels bad, and so invites Diva to come out and see the city with him. Diva does so, and learns a great deal about the world outside!
Then Diva invites Flea indoors. Will the happy-go-lucky feline prove his own courage?
about the author
Mo Willems was a goofy looking kid who grew up in New Orleans. More interested in doodling than studying, Mo had ”great truble speling when he was a kidd.” He remembers an art teacher telling him that cartoons were not ART— that boring bowls of fruit were ART. Obviously the teacher was wrong!
At eighteen, Mo moved to London to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. He returned to the United States to study film. It was at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts that Mo developed his simple graphic drawing style. He graduated cum laude.
After school, Mo spent a year traveling around the world, drawing one cartoon each day. Once home, he became a TV writer and animator working on Sesame Street, Nickelodeon, and the Cartoon Network. He won six Emmys.
Besides animating, Mo continues doing stand-up comedy as well as creating fine art pieces that are shown nationally in galleries. In his spare time, he has written several award-winning books! He lives with his wife and daughter in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Sources:
Author website
Author biography: Amazon
Author biography : Wikipedia
Author interview: NBC Learn
Also by Mo Willems:
The Elephant & Piggie series. Disney/Hyperion. 2007-2014.
Pigeon Needs a Bath! Disney Press. 2014.
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? Hyperion Press. 2012.
Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! Balzer + Bray. 2011.
Knuffle Bunny Free : An Unexpected Diversion. Balzer + Bray. 2010.
City Dog, Country Frog. Hyperion Press. 2010.
Time to Sleep, Sheep the Sheep!. Balzer + Bray. 2010.
Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog. Hyperion Books for Children. 2004.
Knuffle Bunny : A Cautionary Tale. Hyperion Press. 2004.
about the illustrator
Tony DiTerlizzi was born in Los Angeles in 1969 but grew up in South Florida. His first foray into art happened at an early age. His bedroom walls, freshly painted, needed a crayon mural, he thought. So he drew Winnie-the-Pooh!
While Tony was a Boy Scout, for one of his merit badges he created a hand-made book on dinosaurs, then another one on insects, using his own insect collection at home as the models for his drawings!
In 1981 Tony discovered a love for all things fantasy and sci-fi; he had recently seen Star Wars and then also Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal, which started him on a path to sketching and illustrating fantasy creatures, like goblins, elves, and other monsters. He went on to study art at the Florida School of the Arts and also the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.
Upon graduating, Tony landed a dream job with TSR, working freelance on illustrations for their Dungeons & Dragons series of books. He has gone on to create many different kinds of books, from children’s picture books to a retelling of the original Star Wars trilogy in picture book format!
Tony lives and works with his wife, Angela, in Amherst, Massachusetts. They have one daughter.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview : Time for Kids
Author interview : Scholastic
Also by Tony DiTerlizzi:
The Adventure of Meno series. Simon & Schuster. 2009-2013.
G Is for One Gzonk! : An Apha-Number-Bet Book. Simon & Schuster. 2006.
Ted. Simon & Schuster. 2001.
read more!
Dog in Charge by K.L. Going
When Dog’s owners are away shopping, he is in charge of the house…and the five cats. Or is he? The cats wait for the owners to leave, then skedaddle throughout the house, making a mess and hiding from Dog when he just wants them to behave. What if his owners won’t think he’s a good Dog anymore?
Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! by Mo Willems
This book presents six and a half stories about Amanda and her best friend, a fun-loving but easily bored teal blue toy alligator. Stories include a trip to the library, a surprise, and tickling; the discovery of a price tag from the discount bin; and a rival toy panda and a new friendship.
Won Ton and Chopstick by Lee Wardlaw
Won Ton is a cat whose happy life with his Boy is about to be upended. Told entirely in haiku, this is the story of how Won Ton met Chopstick, a dog! How could the Boy do this? Won Ton will have to use all his cunning to get rid of Chopstick before he upsets more things.