Invisible Lizard in Love

by Kurt Cyrus, Andy Atkins (Illustrations)

Napoleon, the spiffiest chameleon in the jungle, is a pretty happy guy. And why shouldn't he be? After all, he loves living on his spiffy limb, and blending in with its colorful foliage. And after a few missteps, he now has friends. Mike the monkey and Polly the parrot often come to play. The spiffy limb shakes with fun and it seems like the laughter will never stop. Except it does when Mike meets Mooka and Polly meets her Pedro. His friends have found their perfect mates and Napoleon is now back to being on his own. What will it take for the loneliest chameleon in the jungle to find his own true love?

Genres: Picture Books, Love, Childrens, Fiction, Friendship, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2019

Reviews

[Calista]

This is a great little love story for Valentine’s day and it’s a different sort of story too. It’s set in a lush rainforest with plenty of green moss and colored flowers so the main color is green and we have a lonely chameleon. He loves blending in with the moss around him and he has 2 friends, the parrot and the monkey. They quickly find a partner and move off with them and now the chameleon is lonely. He sits making hearts all day in the moss when suddenly, the branch he sits on breaks and he falls several branches below in his tree. The dead limb he is on is balanced on another limb and he notices the other side has a warty lumpstool to balance his limb. The two have to work together to get to the middle. Well, he finds it’s another chameleon.

It’s a very cute little book, not overly sweet, but sweet. I love the lush artwork with green so vibrant it hums with life. The text rhymes and the chameleons make some beautiful colors with their environment. I think it’s a great Valentines book.

The nephew thought this book was pretty good. He liked that it was about chameleons and set in the forest. He thought it was so different. He gave this book 4 stars. That’s some good love from him. He thought the branch falling and then having to balance was exciting storytelling.

[Barbara]

I'd give this one a 3.5. Lush illustrations filled with color and light will make readers think they are in the rain forest where the story takes place. The text is relatable since we've all felt a bit left out and lonely at times as our friends find other friends or even life mates, leaving us behind. In this picture book, which follows up on the earlier success of Invisible Lizard, Napoleon, a lizard who is invisible simply because of his ability to blend in with his surroundings watches and becomes increasingly depressed as his friends, Mike and Pedro, leave his side. When the limb on which he is resting breaks off and plummets downward, only to be stopped from going all the way down to the ground, Napoleon manages to hang onto the limb. Another lizard lands on that limb, which begins to move back and forth and come perilously close to falling. As it turns out, Josephine and Napoleon figure out that if they both move slowly toward the middle of the branch, they will be safe. They come to appreciate each other over the slow course of their movement. Not only is everything about this one adorable, but it just might serve as a reminder that taking things slowly allows each individual to get to know each other better. Young readers will love how Napoleon begins to mimic Josephine's coloration, and older ones will love the two lizards' names.

[Juliana Lee]

Napoleon was happy to play with Polly and Mike until they each found a special friend who was just like them. Now Napoleon was lonely. Then one day the branch he was sitting on broke off the tree and tumbled in the canopy until it landed precariously on top of another branch. It was then that Napoleon met Josephine. Together they worked their ways towards the middle of the branch where they would be save. Napoleon and Josephine became fast friends. Finally, someone just like him!

[Peacegal]

Delightfully detailed and colorful illustrations in this one!

[Lexi]

Very trippy and cute!

[Kelly]

The illustrations are great, and the story is very nice.

[Relyn]

I think this will be a hit. The illustrations are wonderful and there's lots of great humor.

[Lisa Boyd]

The picture of both lizards with their googly eyes got me in the feels.

[Talia]

Art was beautiful. Story was cute but the pacing could have been a little more fluid.

[Carmabela Wong]

Napoleon was wondering whether he would be alone by himself forever. And he was able to find his love at the most unexpected place. At first, like everyone who has someone new in their life, it takes some time for him to get used to Josephine. But as time passes, they understood each other better, bonded, and became each other’s companion. They even blended!

How do you react when you meet someone new? Do you welcome them, or have there been moments where you judged each other too quickly?

Sunshine and I enjoyed this book very much. Enjoy it with us on our Youtube channel Storytime Sunshine.

Here is a direct link: https://youtu.be/XxG_fDV2eX4

[Little Batties]

This eye-catching, sweet story is well worth the read to your little ones. It has adventure, friendship, love, and team work all rolled into one. You can teach your young ones some valuable lessons from this story too.

It is hard not to like the main character in this story as he questions why is friends pair off with others of their species, then questioning if he'll ever find someone, and what happens when life throws you an unexpected curve ball. It's just a sweet story that's hard not to love.

I would definitely recommend this story for anyone that enjoys rainforest themed stories or those that love animal books. The illustrations alone are well worth the read.

[Karen Johnson]

Maybe even a 5*
I've read all of Cyrus' books, and his artwork is one of the things that attracts me, but I must say that Atkins' work is pretty great in these lizard books.

Things I liked:
Lonely chameleon in the jungle - his friends have found lovemates. Hey, it happens.
Then, tragedy - his limb cracks and falls down (creating an additional problem of any unstable limb balancing precariously on a "lumpstool").
Here is where Napoleon meets his Josephine - blending in on the lumpstool. Nice touch on the names.
They problem solve the limb situation cleverly.
The rest is history.

[Diane]

"Monkeys have monkeys. Parrots have parrots. Lizards have no one."

Napoleon loves the limb he lives on and he loves his friends, too. But soon his friends Mike (the monkey) and Polly (the parrot) find mates and head away from the limb. But when the limb breaks and sends Napoleon tumbling, he encounters another lizard, Josephine. Precariously balanced, at first the two lizards are combative, making the limb wobble. It's only when they work together that they become more secure on the limb. And, what do you know, they blend with one another.


Gorgeous illustrations.

[Jennifer]

Napoleon from the Invisible Lizard is back! This time his friends find their own partners and he's left alone. Eventually he finds another chameleon to hang out with while his friends bring their partners and come back to see how astonishingly beautiful the two chameleons are together.

It's pretty wordy for a picture book, but kids who are fans of lizards or color will enjoy it.

[McKenna R]

Cute story about a chameleon who is left all alone when all his friends fall in love. That part hit a little close to home. But Napoleon eventually finds love and the story of course ends happily. The pictures were beautiful. Loved the colors.

[Villain E]

Fantastic art. Okay story.

Like the springtime scene in Bambi, Napolean the chameleon's friends are meeting mates and leaving Napolean behind. Then, through happenstance, he meets a female chameleon.

[Miss Sarah]

An elementary and up picture book about two chamelons meeting aftter a storm and working together.

[wildct2003]

Ok

[Launna]

Vibrant illustrations. The story is cute, but a little sassy.

[Erica Baxter]

Cute story. Great art.

[Ashleigh Fletcher]

Really cute book

[Jessica]

Aww, this was so cute! Napoleon is a chameleon. His friends meet other animals like them, and he feels lonely. Then he meets another chameleon named Josephine. Enchanting artwork! Lovely story.

[Lynn Davidson]

Napoleon is a chameleon who blends into his environment so well that it is hard to see him. He observes that other animals are finding mates but he isn’t being noticed. Right when he despairs, his tree branch breaks and when he drops lower in the tree he discovers a beautiful lizard he really wants to befriend. Sweet story in gorgeous colourful illustrations.