THE COLORLESS CHAMELEON

A lizard stands up for herself in this picture book.

Animal friends excitedly congregate in preparation for a party. Chameleon is unsure what color she should be for the celebration, but the others don’t understand her dilemma. Worse, they ask Chameleon to give them her colors so they can look fabulous for the party. Chameleon relents as the others “take” her colors. Now Chameleon is depressed and colorless. When she visits her friends the next day, they don’t understand her sadness. Frustrated, she vents to her pal Flamingo that “Elephant thought it was okay to take my blue because she asked nicely…Lemur tried to guilt me into giving him my red.” Flamingo implores Chameleon to be truthful: “We have to use our voices if we want our friends to understand us.” The lizard decides to ask her friends to return her colors, which they gladly do. At the party, Chameleon sports a rainbow appearance. There are some gaps in the story by Bostick, Irvin, Knox, and Reynolds. The tale assumes that young readers already know that chameleons change colors, and it never explains how the hero can “transfer” hues to others. But the book’s message accentuating the importance of speaking up for yourself is a worthy one for kids. Phan’s delightful, multihued illustrations deftly mirror the events in the text, underscoring the significant role that color plays in the plot. For example, an image depicts Elephant morphing from gray to blue.

A creative, wonderfully illustrated tale emphasizing a valuable theme.