Comparing “The Mixed-Up Chameleon” （ごちゃまぜカメレオン）

My kids love reading books. In particular, my 4-year-old son is currently into The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle, which he borrowed from the library the other day. At first, he was reluctant, but as soon as I started reading aloud, he loved it instantly. He insisted that we read it over and over again—ten times in one night!

He loved the book so much that he even took it to his grandparents’ house over the weekend. There, he made an unexpected discovery. While reading with his grandmother, she suddenly realized she had the same book. She found it on an old bookshelf and showed us the cover, which was completely different from the one in the library book.

Surprisingly, the old book was familiar to me. It turns out it was the first edition, published by a different publisher than the library’s version. It was hard to tell they were the same book at first glance.

From this experience, he seems to have realized that when time and people change, even the same book can look very different. Each time he reads, he notices these differences and seems to understand that there are diverse perspectives, even within the same story. I think this was a very fortunate experience for him.