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CHAMELEON CAN BE

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

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THE PIGEON HAS TO GO TO SCHOOL!

From the Pigeon series

Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.

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All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.

Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.

Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: July 2, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Hyperion

Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019

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THE WILD ROBOT ON THE ISLAND

A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.

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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

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