The Mixed-Up Chameleon
(HarperCollins-1988)
By: Eric Carle
Grade: K-2
The Mixed-Up Chameleon is about a chameleon that changes colors (like chameleon's do) and is very bored until one day he goes to the zoo. He wished he could be like the other animals and each page he adds another animal part. For example, on the second day he says, "I wish I could be handsome like a flamingo" and he gets wings and feet. By the end he is all mixed-up and cannot catch the fly. Then, he just wishes he was himself so he could catch the fly. It is a great book about self-acceptance and realizing the great qualities we all have!
Theme/Skills Taught: Self-acceptance/ Listening, Writing, Editing and Publishing
About the Author: Eric was born in the U.S. and was raised in Germany. His background is in graphic design but since the late 1960's he illustrated Bill Martin Jr's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? His illustrations are collages made with his own hand-painted tissue papers, a technique many children have replicated and enjoyed in their classrooms and at home. With his wife Barbara, he is also the co-founder of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. About Eric Carle
Pre-Reading Activities: What is a chameleon? If you could change colors, what color would you be and why?
Post Reading Activities: Have the students compose a journal entry based on the book's repeating refrain, "I wish I could ____________ like a _______" (i.e. I wish I could fly like a bird). Students will then edit their journal entries and when satisfied, they will transfer their work to the computer, illustrate and publish their work. After reading the story, as a class we could create an art piece using his hand-painted tissue paper technique.
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