Who Am I? - Hardcover

Gervase Phinn is a bestselling author and poet, teacher, freelance lecturer, educational consultant, school inspector, visiting professor of education, and (last but by no means least) father of four. The majority of his time is spent in schools with teachers and children. He is best known for his autobiographical accounts of his time as a school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales, which have been likened to James Herriot's books.

Tony Ross has illustrated hundreds of children's books including the beloved Amber Brown series and his own Little Princess books for Andersen Press. He has chalked up countless awards in his fifty-year career and his books have been published in more than fifty languages.

"'Could you tell me who I am and where I come from?' a newly hatched creature asks of each in a series of unhelpful jungle animals. Readers will enjoy watching the creature change his look to resemble each animal before he’s found by his loving mother: a chameleon. This sweet tale of identity-seeking features energetic, roomy illustrations in lollipop colors." --The Horn Book Guide

"A 'strange little creature' hatches in the jungle and wants to know one thing: 'Who am I?' Readers will see that he’s some kind of lizard, and some will nail down the species within a page or two: chameleon. That’s because as the interrogator goes from animal to animal in search of his answer, he takes on the spots or color of whomever he's talking to. This quest also enables British author Phinn to create a nifty taxonomy of superlatives: 'I know that I am the cheetah and I am the fastest animal in the whole wide world,' is a typical answer, 'but I do not know what sort of creature you are.' Mother Chameleon knows, though, and she appears just in time to save her baby from a crocodile. Phinn's story delivers a simple, solid good time: the brisk, British-inflected narration is fun to read aloud, and the effortless cartooning from Ross gets maximum comic mileage from the contrast between the persistent, bug-eyed hero and his much larger jungle counterparts." --Publishers Weekly

"A little critter, later revealed to be a chameleon, hatches from his egg and is instantly plagued by an identity crisis. As he wanders through the 'tall, tall grass' in search of an answer, he meets a giraffe, an elephant, a cheetah, a rhinoceros, and a chimpanzee. The animals are able to tell him who they are, but they do not know who he is, even as his color changes to mirror their skin tones. When he meets a crocodile, it seems that the little creature is about to become lunch. But his mother appears in the nick of time, tells him who he is, and introduces him to his brothers and sisters. They are quite a colorful crew, which causes the creature to turn into a rainbow-striped lizard. The story has a cumulative rhythm, which makes it ideal for reading aloud, and children will have fun identifying the animals. Ross' illustrations make effective use of solid lines, primary colors, and the chameleon's googly expression as he ponders his place in the world." --Booklist

"A newly hatched creature questions the animals in the jungle about his origins. The giraffe, rhinoceros, elephant, and chimpanzee can't help him because they don't know who he is or where he comes from, and the crocodile, who pretends to know the answer, tries to eat him. His mother knows the answer, though, and when they reunite, the creature meets his colorful brothers and sisters and discovers what they can do best. Children will sympathize with the little chameleon because he needs help and looks defenseless with his misshapen eyes and tightly coiled tail. Ross's pen, ink, and watercolor cartoon illustrations are large and uncluttered. Repetition adds rhythm to the story, and the dialogue, which emphasizes descriptive words about each animal, gives readers a chance to give the characters interesting voices." --School Library Journal

"When a little creature hatches out of an egg, he begins a trip through the jungle seeking the answer to what sort of creature he might actually be. He approaches several animals, but no one can tell him. Finally he finds a crocodile who promises to tell him, as long as the little one will climb up on the crocodile’s nose. Just as the little creature is about to climb up on the nose, he hears a voice behind him. It is his mother who informs him that he is a chameleon, and he happily goes off with her. Clever children will have spotted the fact that the little creature has changed colors every time he talks to one of the other jungle creatures. Children will enjoy hearing this story over and over again." ―Library Media Connection