Customer Reviews

Chameleon, Chameleon

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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The concept of photography as an art is finally coming into its own. Once reluctant art centers are placing their Edward Westons alongside their Claude Monets. As recently as 2004 the very first Caldecott Honor was given to a picture book that contained photography in some way (it was "Knuffle Bunny" by Mo Willems). And Joy Cowley has singlehandedly reinvented the notion of the photographic picture book. Having begun this process with "Red-Eyed Tree Frog" (a title that National Geographic Press must feel they should've gotten first dibs on), Cowley has once again paired with photographer extraordinaire Nic Bishop with the multi-colored and magnificent, "Chameleon, Chameleon". Until these last two books, the notion of a fictional photographic tale has never been properly realized ("Stranger In the Woods" by Carl R. Sams does NOT count). Now all that has changed and Cowley & Bishop can be commended for formenting an entirely new genre in the picture book oeuvre. No small task.

Open the book and marvel at the first double-page image. A chameleon grasps a tiny branch, its eyes completely closed in slumber. The skin of the critter is aquamarine, cobalt blue, orange, sea green, yellow, and an array of other shades. When the chameleon wakes up it goes on a hunt for food. We watch its perfect little feet grasp thin tree branches. The reptile confronts a harmless gecko, a tiny chameleon, a frog, a different gecko, and a dangerous scorpion. At last the chameleon locates a caterpillar in a tree and ZAP! Its tongue shoots out and pulls the tasty morsel into its mouth. A female chameleon threatens the gecko with angry colors. It, in turn, calms her with bright colors and she turns an albino-like white to welcome him. "Two chameleon friends... have happy colors".

Prior to reading this book, if you had stopped me on the street and shouted the word, "CHAMELEON" into my ear, my first thought (aside from wondering, "Why is this person yelling reptilian names into my ear?") would have been of a green creature that is able to change its skin color. It was to my delight that I discovered, all thanks to this book, that chameleons sport beautiful mottled skins of every conceivable color when they are relaxed or happy. The book is eager to show other creatures that camouflage themselves to fit their environments. Sharp eyed young 'uns should check out the picture of the gecko as a twig and the other gecko as a leaf. In the back of the book, a factual "Did You Know?" section gives more details about chameleons and their defining characteristics. A further section labeled, "How the Photographs Were Taken" explains the process the photographer had to go through to get these riveting shots. There is a brief mention that because putting two animals together is "unpredictable", the pictures that had more than one reptile or insect in the shot have been "stitched" together, presumably with the help of Photoshop. This is a near seamless process in all but one picture. In the picture of the chameleon passing a tiny frog, the frog has that sharp-edged quality found in poorly merged Photoshop images. It seems to float on its leaf, rather than grasp it. Gravity does not seem to affect this frog. I do wish that Bishop could have improved on this photo before sending it off to the publisher. Ah well.

By and large, "Chameleon, Chameleon" fills the ever widening need young children have for non-fiction titles that speak on their level. Cowley doesn't suddenly burst into a paragraph long explanation of the feeding habits of chameleons. She is perfectly aware that her audience is small, likes bright colors, cool animals, and the proper use of words like ZAP! For those parents eager to get their kids hooked on science early, "Chameleon, Chameleon" is a worthy successor to the equally lovely and lively, "Red-Eyed Tree Frog". I sure many readers can hardly wait to see what Cowley and Bishop come up with next. I vote for toucans.

If you have ever wanted to learn more about chameleons this is the book for you. It features several chameleons and follows then through out their day. We see their homes, we find out how they catch their prey and how they eat it. We also we how they react to one another. The authors note in the back of the book gives lots of factual information on chameleons.


This truly delightful book gives a surprising amount of information. It would appeal to any age level, though its simple text is designed for a younger audience.

Yes The full color photos of the chameleon are great!

I used this book during a writer's workshop lesson. It is perfect for first graders as it is easy to read and has colorful photographs. I borrowed my copy from the school library but I'm on Amazon to order my own copy now.

My 4 year old son and his parents really like this book! It's the first nature book I've read that teaches via a story. The chameleon is a character, and you want to see what happens to him. So indirectly the reader is learning about nature, while being caught up in a simple story.

The text is simple and action oriented, so it really lets the photos tell the story. The photography is AMAZING and beautiful. My husband was completely dumbfounded by the geckos and their unique camouflage. Who would have thought that such creatures actually exist in nature!

We received this as a gift, and it happened to be a great find.

Joy Cowley dreams up another simple fun book with pictures of great detail. It reminds what I have been missing, not looking at photographs of chameleons rather than drawings. The photos are spectacular!

A beautiful picture book of chameleons for young people...unfortunately the text leaves an impression that angry beings are dark-colored while happy one are "pale". Here in the United States (the book is from New Zealand) this creates an unfortunate mind-set amongst preschoolers re: dark-colored teachers vs. "pale" ones.
The photographs themselves are an invaluable introduction to chameleons, so I've kept the book in my read-aloud library by altering a few words of the text.
If you wish to see these alterations, email me at
story-telling@philsheridan.com