A Color of His Own ~ Leo Lionni (1975, Scholastic Inc.)

Summary: This story is about a chameleon who is constantly changing color. This makes him sad because everything else has its own color. Eventually, he finds another chameleon that has the same problem. They decide to stay together and change colors together. They have the same concern about always chnaging color and this is how they decide to be friends.

My Review: I like this book because it talks about how a chameleon doesn't have his own color but adapts to his surroundings. It also introduces a lot colors in nature that the children reading the book can be aware of.

About the Author: Lionni was born in Holland and emigrated to the USA in 1939 with his wife and two sons. He taught himself how to draw by copying images from a museum. Prior to retiring from his career as an artist, he wrote his first children's book, Little Blue and Little Yellow. This helped to spark the creation of over 30 other children's book. In 1984, he recieved the American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and 4 Caldecott medals.

Genre: Fiction
Theme/ Skill: Color, Chameleons, Friendship
Age Level: 4-8

Pre-Reading Activity: Whole group discussion: What is a chameleon? What are some things we could learn about them?

Post-Reading Activity: Research chaemelons: find out where they live, what they eat, how many colors they can change into, and their life cycle. Have students write 1 thing they learn on a full page-sized chameleon and hang on a bulletin board.