Crafty Chameleon

by Mwenye Hadithi, Mwenye Hadithi

Tormented every morning by leopard and bullied by crocodile, the clever little chameleon decides to play a trick on them. He manages to get the better of his two oppressors without them even knowing how he did it! This is the story of why Crafty Chameleon changes colour and hides when he hears you coming.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Mwenye Hadithi, meaning "he who has the stories," is a name used by Bruce Hobson, who was inspired by Adrienne Kennaway's vibrant use of color to write stories for children. Mr. Hobson grew up on ten acres of bush garden with porcupines and gazelles; crocodiles in the rose bed; and a hippopotamus that once got stuck between the courtyard gates--all of which fostered his great love of animals and bush country of Kenya. Mr. Hobson lives in Nairobi with his wife and child.
(From the inside cover of one of his books)

Reviews

[Eddie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hungry Hyena" and "Handsome Hog" raised my bar, really. Chameleons are fascinating ALIENS and from "Crafty Chameleon" I was expecting something a little more.. crafty. That being said, it's STILL one of the best books a child may read.

[Kraig Barth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does a great job emphasizing a spin off of a David and Goliath story. The chameleon, who is small in size, uses his brain power and whits to outsmart a leopard and crocodile who were terrorizing him. This book is a great resource when discussing problem solving. This chameleon demonstrates a very smart solution to a problem that is affecting him personally. This book can be used in a science class to discuss animals that can be found in Africa and the survival qualities they poses in order to live in the wild. I would definitely recommend this book for young learners because the story is fun and clever, and is complimented by very vibrant artwork to bring a strong visualization to the story.

[kachowtandabout · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I thought it was very good because it showed kindness because leopard and crocodile weren’t being kind to chameleon so he tied them up and then they said sorry”

[Thijs Werkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the story, there is a good message in it and it’s also a kind of funny

[Tori Serrano]

The Craft Chameleon is about a chameleon who like to swing from tree to tree. Everyday this poor chameleon gets swatted by leopard off the tree and on to the ground. At night the chameleon goes to the river to get a drink of water and the alligator comes out from under the water and scares the small animals away. One day the chameleon threatens the leopard and alligator that he is going to tie them up like dogs, but they did not take them seriously. So the chameleon did what he said he was going to do and tied a rope around the leopard and at the other end of that same rope tied up the alligator. They both learn their lesson and never bother the chameleon again.
This is a very interesting book. It tells kids that they should not put up with bullies and that they should stick up for themselves. This lesson is somewhat didactic, however the last page is peculiar. On the last page it talks about how the Chameleon was never bothered again, but lived in fear of the leopard and alligator. I think that if you are going to stick up for yourself, you should not have to live in fear as a consequence afterwards. This teaches students the wrong lesson.
The illustrations in this book were very colorful and appropriate to the story. It was really neat to see the chameleon in different settings because it would change colors depending on where it was. Like the story The Greedy Zebra the facial expressions that the characters had were through the eyes. I think it is really unique how the eyes of the characters can show so much. The animals fur and textures of skin were displayed by simple shapes.

[Rahime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crafty Chameleon is a lovely children's book written by Mwenye Hadithi and illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway.It tells the story of the chameleon who just wants to rest on the high branches and catch flies all day,but the poor Chameleon is being constantly bullied by Leopard and Crocodile, who scare and moch him on daily basis. One day Chameleon decides to play a trick on them. He manages to get the teh better of his two opressors without them even knowing how he did it.The story is a good proof that brains are often better than strength and size.
The book can be used in PSHE in year 1/2 as a source for discussion on the topic of bullying.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I took a storytelling class and we had to take a picturebook and pretty much memorize it - only add our own flair to it - and I practiced for hours to my very patient then very young youngest son (who would correct me with great seriousness and sense of duty whenever I messed up a line). By the end we had both memorized this story and it is a good one and well delivered by the author. And not so bad by me either - I recall I earned an A for my effort. Oh, sorry young James. Our effort.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

jungle animals - crocodile, leopard, chameleon; trickster tales; manners; wisdom

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

1987 Kate Greenaway Medal

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple and nicely illustrated story about being clever and using your enemies' strength against them.