Elephants are gray. Pigs are pink. Only the chameleon has no color of his own. He is purple like the heather, yellow like a lemon, even black and orange striped like a tiger! Then one day a chameleon has an idea to remain one color forever by staying on the greenest leaf he can find. But in the autumn, the leaf changes from green to yellow to red . . . and so does the chameleon. When another chameleon suggests they travel together, he learns that companionship is more important than having a color of his own. No matter where he goes with his new friend, they will always be alike.
Colorful illustrations and spare prose make this story of friendship perfect for a board book edition to introduce simple color concepts to toddlers.
On sale: November 14, 2000
Age: 2-5 years
Grade: Up to Kindergarten
Page count: 30 Pages
ISBN: 9780375810916
Reading level: Lexile: 640L | Fountas/Pinnell: I
Leo Lionni wrote and illustrated more than 40 highly acclaimed children's books. He received the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and was a four-time Caldecott Honor winner--for
Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. Leo Lionni died in October of 1999 at his home in Tuscany, Italy.
"Lionni's signature watercolors span the rainbow in this story of a chameleon who, while searching for his identity, finds a friend with whom he can share his changeable nature." —
Publishers Weekly"As captivating now as it was when first published in 1975." —
Children's Literature
