Behold the Chameleon

by Suzanne Slade, Thomas Gonzalez (Illustrator)

Overview

Lyrical text and gorgeous illustrations introduce us to the chameleon and its astonishing abilities.

This reptilian superhero can alter the pigments in its skin cells to change color, operate its eyes separately (allowing it to keep one eye on dinner and one out for predators), capture that dinner by lashing out its long, super-fast, sticky tongue at speeds up to 13 miles an hour, and use its prehensile tail as an anchor. Ranging in size from less than an inch (Nano-chameleon, possibly the world's smallest reptile) to about two feet long, the size of a house cat (Parson's Chameleon), the chameleon is something to behold!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682637340
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	04/08/2025
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	11.23(w) x 9.76(h) x 0.36(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Suzanne Slade, a Sibert Honor-winning author, has written over one hundred and fifty children's books. An engineer by degree, she is acclaimed for her expertise in STEAM topics, as well as explorations of inspiring figures in history. A popular speaker, she visits dozens of schools every year and has been invited to speak at numerous conferences such as ALA, IRA, ISLMA, NSTA, as well as the National Book Festival. Suzanne's books are enjoyed by readers around the world and also in space! Her picture book Astronaut Annie was read aboard the International Space Station for Story Time from Space.

Thomas Gonzalez is an illustrator, designer, and portrait artist. A native of Cuba, he came to the United States when he was ten years old. He studied at the Atlanta School of Art (now called Savannah of Art and Design). After working at the Coca-Cola Company for more than twenty years, Tom held several creative positions with other global brands. He has illustrated many picture books, including the New York Times bestseller 14 Cows for America.

Editorial Reviews

The images here are just magnificent, with jewel-tone portraits in pastels, colored pencils, and airbrush of the animals and their lush surroundings creating feasts for young eyes. . . An engaging pick for animal collections.
—Booklist

Resplendent illustrations accompany solid text.
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2024-12-28
The ins and outs of chameleon behavior.

Slade and Gonzalez’s third book in a series that began withBehold the Octopus (2023), followed byBehold the Hummingbird (2024), carries on with a peek into the life of chameleons, of which there are more than 220 individual species. Slade uses a similar structure to her previous books. She introduces the reptile with two-level text: One word—usually a verb or adjective—appears on the left-hand side of the spread, while a longer paragraph appears on the right. All the text is set against Gonzalez’s gloriously illustrated full spreads. The wordstalking is paired with text describing the chameleon’s ability to use its eyes independently so that “it may fix one eye on its tasty prey, while the other looks out for predators.” Each paragraph includes a mention of one species of chameleon, in the latter case, the African chameleon. On another page,clinging introduces the arboreal nature of the chameleon and the way it “curves its prehensile tail around a branch” to hold on to its home in the trees. For this entry, the jewel chameleon of Madagascar serves as an example, and the reptile appears almost beaded in the dazzling accompanying image. Featuring pastels, colored pencils, and airbrush, Gonzalez’s art is stupendous in comparison to the text, which is rich in facts but somewhat dry. Strangely, a lovely description about baby chameleons appears at the conclusion rather than at the beginning.

Resplendent illustrations accompany solid text. (photographs, selected bibliography, websites)(Informational picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews