The Mixed-up Chameleon  (English, Paperback, Carle Eric)

Mixed Up Chameleon tells the adventures of a chameleon, who discovers his ability to change not just his colour, but also his shape and size, during a trip to the local zoo. Filled with colourful illustrations, this is a wonderful book for young children.

Summary Of The Book

Mixed Up Chameleon, published in 1988, is a children's story and picture book. Filled with vivid illustrations, it is designed for children aged between 2 to 5 years. The story is about a chameleon who lives a very normal life. Like every other chameleon, he too has the ability to change the colour of his body. Throughout the day, he turns from green to yellow and then from brown to red. He starts to become grey when he is hungry and cold, but after a few flies are devoured, the chameleon soon becomes bright green. However, he is not pleased with this lifestyle as sitting around and catching flies with his sticky tongue does not seem very exciting to him.

One fine day, the chameleon visits the zoo and is astonished to see the huge variety of animals present there. At first he sees a polar bear and wishes that he too could become white, furry, and big. Just as he thinks of turning into a polar bear, his wish is granted as he actually changes to resemble a polar bear. He realizes that he has the power to not just change his colour, but also his size and shape. As he goes around the zoo, he grows wings and long legs and changes into a flamingo. His wish to have a tail like a fox’s also comes true. On spotting more animals, his body changes based on his desires. He grows a giraffe's neck, a pair of seal flippers, fish fins, a tortoise's shell, deer antlers, and the face of an elephant. A hilarious sight, the chameleon suddenly realizes that he is hungry. As he eagerly tries to munch on some flies, he forgets that he now sports an elephant’s trunk, which cannot catch any flies. What will the chameleon do now?

Mixed Up Chameleon aims to highlight a message for all its readers. It focuses on philosophical topics like happiness, change, and personal identity. The author, through the pictures and the text, wishes to inform children that it is important to be different and unique. Each being is special because everyone is different from each other.

About Eric Carle

Eric Carle, born in 1929, is a children's book author and illustrator. He was born in America and was educated in Germany. He moved back to the United States as an adult, and joined The New York Times as a graphic designer.

His most famous literary work is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This book has been translated into more than fifty languages. Some others are The Grouchy Ladybug, All Around Us, and Little Cloud.

Eric Carle’s books are popular amongst children all over the world. He has illustrated over seventy books, and more than a 103 millions copies have been sold globally. Carle has also designed Google Doodles. The author has founded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, a museum dedicated to the art of children's books.