Description:
Poor, mixed-up chameleon Clyde. His mother (very feminine in pink lipstick) tries and tries to teach him about changing his skin color in order to hide from predators, but all he ever does is turn red on green leaves, yellow on blue stones, and purple on orange flowers. But when he inadvertently winds up in an unfamiliar landscape one day—-a human's laundry room--Clyde passes the chameleon camouflage test... in flying colors! Russell Benfanti's striking 3-D illustrations virtually jump off the page at the reader in a way reminiscent of William Joyce (Rolie Polie Olie) or David Kirk (Little Miss Spider). The glossy, vibrant, full-page pictures of Clyde transforming himself over pink polka-dot socks and jars of buttons appear opposite rhyming verse about the lizard's predicament: "Now Clyde wasn't slow, or even dumb, / But when he tried to match colors, / He stood out like a sore thumb." Young readers who have had trouble learning new skills will appreciate Clyde's story and cheer at his sudden success. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter
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