Blue Chameleon is a deceptively simple book that capitalises on the ability of some species of chameleons to change their skin coloration. In fact, if you read the main body text alone, you’d think it’s just a beautifully illustrated book on colours — but that would be doing it a grave injustice.

The title itself gives a hint as to the many layers into which one can read the book — besides the obvious ‘Chameleon’, ‘Blue’ also has two meanings: the colour, or a melancholic mood. While it does a great job of covering a full spectrum of colours with the brilliant illustrations, which is great for toddlers, more mature children (and grown-ups) will be able to appreciate the clever way in which the author has managed to use humour and sensitivity to subtly weave in the amusing yet touching tale of one lonely chameleon’s quest for a friend.

So as not to give too much of the story away, it suffices to say that this is a fantastic book with a great message for anyone: to not to try to be anyone — or anything — other than yourself just to make someone like (or love) you, and trust that the right person will come along when you least expect it.