Moving and making new friends is tough! When Charlie Chameleon and his family start their adventure in New Town, Charlie discovers he is braver than he knows. With his bossy pet fish, Frankie, by his side, he faces many challenges, including standing up to the neighborhood bully.
These multicultural stories are intended for second and third grade students as well as advanced first graders to read independently. Children ages three through nine will enjoy the antics of the characters in the Charlie books. To the author’s surprise, these books are being enjoyed by a wider audience than expected.
Reading the series helps children develop empathy and cultivate insight into their lives. The stories cover situations children typically encounter like getting lost, moving, starting a new school, making friends, family vacations, working in a team, and dealing with bullies using a positive method.
The animals possess human characteristics. Charlie Chameleon takes Frankie the fish wherever he goes. If the fish in Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat represents the Superego, Frankie, one of the feistier characters in the series, is all Id. Frankie wants everything, and he wants it right now.
Each chapter ends with one or more activities for children and parents or teachers to do together, related to the actions in the stories.
Excerpt
Charlie Chameleon sat up in bed. His tail was wrapped around his blanket. Charlie looked at his pet fish swimming in the aquarium. “Frankie, it’s time for breakfast.”
Frankie swam to the top of the tank. “Yummy.
Do I get Sugar Buggies?”
“I don’t know, Frankie. Sugar Buggies make you hyper.”
“Pleeeease, just a few?”
“Oh, okay. I guess it won’t hurt. Let’s go downstairs, Frankie.”
Frankie swam in circles, jumped into the air, and landed with a splash in his fishbowl, right next to his aquarium.
Charlie walked downstairs cradling Frankie, safe in the fishbowl, by his arm. Frankie went everywhere with Charlie.
Papa Chameleon sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee as he read his newspaper. “Good morning, Charlie. Mama made us a wonderful breakfast.” Papa gave Mama a big smile.
“Charlie, put Frankie down and eat your waxworm cereal while it’s still warm,” said Mama.
Frankie blew bubbles out of his fishbowl. One bubble landed on Charlie’s breakfast. Another bubble popped on Charlie’s nose. “Yuck. Fish breath. Frankie, stop blowing bubbles. Here, have some Sugar Buggies.”
Professional Reviews
Reviewed by Barbara Fanson for Readers' Favorite
The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon: New Beginnings is a very imaginative story about a chameleon and his family. He even has a pet fish -- a fish that gets seasick! Author Ellen Buikema is a very creative writer. Who else would have put a water-helmet on a fish so he can jump up and down on a bed? But, I don't think I want to join them for breakfast; they're eating waxworm cereal. When Charlie learns that his father has a new job in another town and they will have to move, he is not too happy. He doesn't want to move away from his best friend Tamika the turtle, his school, or his soccer team.
Buikema does an excellent job describing the characters and the scenery. The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon even includes a recipe for the Berry Smoothies that Charlie and Tamika drank. The book also includes an email with a secret code activity for readers to solve. Charlie makes friends with Gary Gecko, who wears glasses, and the two play spaceships and astronauts together. They're even in the same class. I think everyone can relate to Buikema's lovable characters.
It was nice to see a spaceship activity sheet with instructions on how to build a spaceship, but I wish there was an illustration of the spaceship. Elizabeth Engel's well-drawn illustrations are helpful and fit the junior grade novel. It's a short, but captivating read that will keep you spellbound with problems and solutions confronting Charlie daily. And now I'm yearning to read the sequel
This sweet story is about an elementary school student whose family ...
This sweet story is about an elementary school student whose family must move to a new city. It is written by an elementary education professional and concentrates on vocabulary reinforcement and challenges for read-alone students. Drawings of animal characters support the action. The short book ends with a reinforcing and fun To Do Project. I purchased copies of this book and had Amazon ship them to the homes of three lucky families.
Enchanting Tale Sure to Entertain
In this story, Charlie Chameleon faces many new challenges after he and his parents move to Newtown. Leaving behind all that is familiar, Charlie must go to a new school and make new friends. Things become more difficult when he's faced with Boris Bunny, the school bully. Charlie has help, however, from supportive parents and a best buddy: his saucy pet fish, Frankie, who travels with him most everywhere, and lends comic relief when needed.
My grandson loved this book, as did I. The characters come to life through their interactions and often humorous events. The illustrations are great, too, helping to make Charlie's adventures seem even more real. The diversity of the characters is also a plus: besides Boris Bunny, who later becomes a friend, are Gary Gecko, Tamika Turtle, and more.
Charlie's life lessons are tempered with humor, as he gets into scrapes that all small human boys do, too. Also fun are the inventive ways the author has found to create a complete world for these non-human characters. Frankie the fish travels in a "water helmet" in Charlie's backpack, for example, and all the rest have specific traits that derive from their real-world animal counterparts.
Whether or not your children are dealing with "new beginnings," this book is fun and the activities at the end of each chapter will keep them entertained well after they finish reading.
This second book in Edie's 'Puddle' series is filled with wonderful catchy rhyming poems that have positive nostalgic messages. Her whimsical illustrations carry the poems along on ripples of warm vibrant colours.
Little Z is a little person who feels lost and alone. Will he be able to focus and gain control to find his way and find the friends he wants to have? Read this short but very sweet story to find out what happens next.
An inspirational book about a unique world where trees hold intrinsic knowledge and powerful forces of energy. The group of students called the Planeteers demonstrate character building and not judge people base on their appearance, but judge them on
