Mary Epsom has written her first book for children. "The Chameleon who went to the North Pole…almost!" is based on a true story about Mary's son Paul when he was a little boy in 1966. As a typical Kenyan boy, Paul always had a snake in his pocket or a chameleon on his shoulder, and Mary's delightful story for children, tells how, on the flight to Europe on leave with the family, Mary saw to her horror, at 32,000 feet above the Sahara Desert, a chameleon walking across the back of Paul's seat in front of her. There was no alternative but to bring the little chameleon, who Paul had named Mugia, along with them for the rest of the holiday. The book relates the stories of the family's 17,000 miles journey through Europe, visiting nine countries as far as the Arctic Circle, as seen through Mugia's eyes. The little chameleon proves to be helpful in getting the family through tricky situations. The book is both an enchanting memoire of a happy family holiday in Europe in the 1960s in the company of a charismatic little chameleon, and a nostalgic reminder of the freedom of travel in the days before airport security and border controls (and although Mugia was put into her own shoe box when the family went through customs, Mary strongly advises children not to try this trick today!) Paul died in a road accident in 2014 and "The Chameleon who went to the North Pole…almost!" is dedicated to him. With delightful colour illustrations by Samira Matthews, this makes a very special Christmas stocking-filler for children aged 6 – 12 years old.