Cheerily delivers the lesson that it’s best to be yourself.
Playful rhymes and brilliant illustrations camouflage a search for identity.
When Chameleon wants “to be someone new / And see life from a different view,” forest friends agree to help the lizard become a new, “dazzling” self. Strategic formatting—a rhymed riddle on each recto page followed by an answer on the next verso—encourages readers to guess what familiar animal Chameleon will turn into next. Young readers will also enjoy the challenge of searching the illustrations to find Chameleon’s transformations, especially when they turn into a very realistic monkey and a tiny shark. But an alternating refrain develops with each transformation: “No, [animal name] actually doesn’t feel right” or “Or, maybe something else!” At last, Chameleon poses one more riddle: “I want to be colorful—red, green, yellow, and blue / And to myself I want to be true. / I am good at hiding and live in a tree / I’m a master of disguise… / what could I be?” A dazzling illustration of a chameleon presents the answer, and Chameleon learns that the best answer to “What could I be?” is “ME!” Look carefully. The answer is on the back endpaper. Colorful, humorous illustrations befitting a questing chameleon make this a good read-aloud, but preread, as black text on several pages blurs into a dark background.
Cheerily delivers the lesson that it’s best to be yourself. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-953458-15-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Yeehoo Press
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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