
No matter where he goes with his new friend, they will always be alike. When another chameleon suggests they travel together, he learns that companionship is more important than having a color of his own. But in the autumn, the leaf changes from green to yellow to red.

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. Only the chameleon has no color of his own. (Baby to preschool) -Emilie Coulter From the Inside Flap:īook Description Hardcover. This small board book edition of the classic tale of self-acceptance and friendship will be a favorite for toddlers and parents alike. Leo Lionni, children's book creator extraordinaire, author of such beloved picture books as Frederick, Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, Swimmy, and Inch by Inch, all Caldecott Honor winners, introduces color concepts in an exquisite and touching story.

It isn't until he befriends another older, wiser chameleon that our hero begins to find inner peace, even as his outer surface is transformed again and again. He thinks, "If I remain on a leaf, I shall be green forever, and so I too will have a color of my own." Of course, what he doesn't take into account is the changes wrought by autumn, and soon the green chameleon is yellow, then red, and then tumbled to the ground for the long black winter night. In the heather they are purple." One chameleon is not pleased with his changeable appearance. "Parrots are green, elephants are gray, pigs are pink." But chameleons change color wherever they go.
