Press and Awards

Coverage and honours

Fan Favourite, Penelope’s Prize Children’s Book Awards 2021

May 20, 2021. Readers voted Diego the Dodo and the Island Race the Fan Favourite of the year, after it made the Top 25 shortlist.
‘I’m so proud’: Asian Canadians reflect on family, community for Asian Heritage Month

Global News, May 2021. Tammy and Parveen talk about how their families’ lessons on perseverance and pride in their roots shaped Diego’s story.

Fact sheet

Title: Diego the Dodo and the Island Race: A story about finding one’s strength and never giving up
French title: Diego le dodo et la course
Author: Tammy Co
Illustrator: Parveen K.
Publisher: Diego Inc., Canada
First published: November 25, 2020
Ages: 3 to 8
Pages: 27, full colour, 8.5 × 8.5 in (21.6 × 21.6 cm)
ISBN (paperback): 9781777323677
ISBN (ebook): 9781777323622
ISBN (French): 9781777323660
Themes: Perseverance, courage, diversity, embracing differences, animals of the world, endangered species

Short description

Diego the dodo is joining the island race with his friends for the very first time. With his tiny wings and clumsy feet, how can he win against a galloping gazelle and a leaping lemur? A funny, colourful picture book about perseverance and embracing our differences, written by Tammy Co in memory of her grandfather and illustrated by Parveen K., whose family roots are in Mauritius, home of the dodo.