Who Am I?

by Gervase Phinn, Tony Ross (Illustrator)

Overview

One hot day in the middle of the jungle a strange little creature hatches out of an egg. "Who am I?" he asks himself. Off he plods through the tall grass to find out. He meets many animals but all of them are different. Will he ever find out who he is and what makes him special?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761389965
Publisher:	Andersen Press USA
Publication date:	01/01/2012
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD460L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Gervase Phinn is a bestselling author and poet, teacher, freelance lecturer, educational consultant, school inspector, visiting professor of education, and (last but by no means least) father of four. The majority of his time is spent in schools with teachers and children. He is best known for his autobiographical accounts of his time as a school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales, which have been likened to James Herriot's books.

Tony Ross has been illustrating books for over 40 years, and has been published all over the world. He has been named the best-selling illustrator in the UK three years in a row. He lives in Macclesfield, England.

Editorial Reviews

"Children will enjoy hearing this story over and over again." —Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

Two picture-book veterans offer a phoned-in collaboration that blows off not only the Big Question it poses, but the plot, too. A puzzled hatchling chameleon actually has two posers: "Could you tell me who I am and where I come from?" he asks of a giraffe, an elephant and a succession of other jungle animals. No, replies each, identifying itself in a patterned way--"I am the cheetah and I am the fastest animal in the whole wide world, but I do not know what sort of creature you are." A toothy crocodile at last promises enlightenment if only the little tyke will come closer…but just as he's is about to climb on the croc's nose, along comes Mama Chameleon to identify her little one as "my little baby chameleon, the most beautiful and unusual creature in the whole wide world!" and whisk him away to meet his many sibs. In his loosely brushed pictures, Ross adds an ingenious detail to the narrative by having the little one adopt the colors of each animal he questions, but he contradicts Phinn's version of the climax (having the lizard clamber atop the nose of a croc whose mouth is closer to closed than wide open as described) and, in blithe disregard for internal logic, inexplicably sends the suddenly meek crocodile packing. Why ask children to think deep thoughts when you can offer a superficial variation on the common "Where's Mama?" theme instead? (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews