A Color Of His Own

A Color Of His Own
by Leo Lionni
Ages: 4-8+ years


The cover image - with its bright vibrant colors against a stark white background, of a chameleon with a dubious expression - first caught my attention.

The simple text sheltering a profound message urged me to bring it home to read it to my kids.

The chameleon is aching for immutability. Having his colors constantly change, depending on his mood or environment, has become tiresome for him. He envies the gray elephant and the pink pig and the green parrot who have an unambiguous color identity.

So, he decides to stay put on the greenest of green leaves so he can stay green forever and get to be known as the green chameleon, with a color of his own.

However, when autumn comes, the de-chlorophylled leaf turns yellow and so does the chameleon. And when the leaf takes it a step further in its seasonal pageantry and turns red, so does the chameleon, possibly involuntarily. And when the winter gusts blow the leaf down, and the chameleon with it, he decides that black is his color for winter.

When spring comes around, so does the chameleon, thanks to a rather charming and heart-warming encounter which is a treat to read aloud.

Please hop over to Saffron Tree to read the rest of this review. Thanks!