The Water Hole - Softcover

Base, Graeme

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0142401978 ISBN 13: 9780142401972

Publisher: Puffin Books, 2004

Synopsis

In the tradition of his best-selling alphabet book, Animalia, author and illustrator Graeme Base takes young readers on an exhilarating journey of discovery with an ingenious fusion of counting book, puzzle book, storybook, and art book. From the plains of Africa and the jungles of the Amazon to the woodlands of North America and the deserts of outback Australia, the animals come together to drink from the water hole. But their water supply is diminishing. What's going on? Each sumptuous landscape illustration conceals hidden animal pictures for readers to find as they count the animals that visit the water hole and try to solve the mystery: will the animals come back or is their water source gone forever?

About this title

Review

Who can resist the allure of the hidden wilderness water hole? Certainly not one rhino. Not two tigers. Nor three toucans. Pretty soon the delicious pool is drawing moose, catfish, pandas, tortoises... and more than 100 other critters from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and beyond. But is it our imagination or is that rhino-sized water hole dwindling to a mere shadow of its former self, a puddle not fit for eight ladybugs, let alone 10 kangaroos? As the seasons change across the world, and the animals get thirstier, the water supply diminishes. Eventually, even the flowery-shirted frog that has stoically lingered through the drought packs his suitcase and takes off. The only hope now is a drop of rain on the parched earth...

With his usual elaborate detail, Graeme Base, mad genius behind Animalia, The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery, and other wild and wonderful titles, presents a one-of-a-kind counting book. Naturally, Base would never be content to stick with a simple 1 through 10 format. Readers of all ages will linger over each spread, first counting the highlighted animals and giggling at the translation of their grunts and growls (the moose's "Moo, moo, mooooooiii!" means "Hey, get your hoof out of my ear!"). Then it's time to check out the diminishing size of the die-cut hole in the pond. And finally, readers will want to find each of the 10 additional animals cleverly hidden in every illustration, based on the silhouetted creatures in the border. A safari on paper--with an environmental and mathematical education thrown in for good measure. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From the Inside Flap

From the bestselling author of Animalia, comes an ingenious fusion of counting book, puzzle, story book, and art book.

Graeme Base takes us on an exhilarating journey of discovery from the plains of Africa and the jungles of the Amazon to the woodlands of North America and the deserts of Australia. At first glance, this is a simple 1 to 10 counting book featuring familiar animals as they gather at a water hole deep in the forest: One Rhino, Two Tigers, Three Toucans ?

But page by page the numbers increase as animals from different continents come to the water hole to drink. At the same time the water hole itself is shrinking until eventually it is nothing but cracked, dry mud. If the water hole symbolizes world resources, then its depletion has universal overtones.

When will the rains come? Finally a single droplet splashes down on the parched soil. It rains and rains ... and in a glorious finale, all the animals return.

The youngest readers of The Water Hole will enjoy a simple counting book filled with familiar creatures. Older children will be challenged to discover a hundred hidden animals in the background.

Adults and children alike will enjoy sharing the search through the pages of this magnificent, beautifully illustrated book from the acclaimed author/illustrator. The Water Hole is a book to be treasured, both as a work of art and as a life-affirming and timeless story.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0142401978
• ISBN 13: 9780142401972
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32