A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
First, I want to say I was surprised that this book was written in 1975! But it's simple message of uniqueness and friendship still ring true. It's written very simply and the illustrations are definitely attractive to the eye! It's a story about a chameleon that notices all animals have a certain color that is unique to them; but as a chameleon, he changes color wherever he goes. He notices that he is yellow when he is on a lemon, purple among the heather flowers, and striped when on a tiger's tail. One day he thinks to himself, "If I remain on a leaf, I shall be green forever." He thinks then will have color specifically for him. But soon the chameleon realizes that with changing seasons come changing colors. So with each season change came a different leaf color and eventually the leaf falls off the tree and the chameleon goes with it. The chameleon endures the long winter and finally when spring comes he meets another chameleon friend. He poses the question to the other on if they will ever have colors of their own. The other older and wiser chameleon gently answers the other chameleon that they will not. But he offers his friendship to the other and together they can endure and enjoy their color changes throughout their life. I liked this book because it offered a simple message of friendship when one feels down about life. The most appealing thing about this book to young readers will probably be the colorful pages!