Carlos the Chameleon has lots of friends. There are the pink flamingos, the blue tree frogs, and the wonderfully spotty jaguars. Carlos is a 'unique little creature', a 'beautiful bright shade of green when he is his own colour. But when he is with his friends, he becomes their colour - pink with the flamingoes, blue with the frogs and yellow and spotty with the jaguars. He thinks they won't want to be his friends if he doesn't look like them, but when they discover his ruse, they are puzzled. When he finally shows them his beautiful true green colour, they think it's lovely, but he is sad. He still believes they won't want to be with him if he isn't their colour. Still puzzled as to why he would feel that way, they all reassure him that 'We love being your friend because of who you are on the inside, not what you look like on the outside.' When Carlos realises that his friends are all quite different looking themselves, he can accept that they can love him just as he is and that he is 'happiest when he is being himself'. Beautifully written and illustrated with striking watercolours,, this picture book will provide ample discussion on feeling good in one's own skin and why this matters. There are notes for parents and teachers at the end, and this is a story that belongs in classrooms over the country. Available from Amazon, from bookshops, and from the publisher: www. jkp.com.