[.ca] Splash! (ISBN 0763620351)

From Amazon.com:
If you know Flora McDonnell's award-winning work through Flora McDonnell's ABC, I Love Boats, or I Love Animals, then you're already familiar with her bright, uncluttered, kid-friendly illustrations. Splash begins with two Indian elephants on a sun-soaked yellow background. "Hot, hot, hot! The elephants are hot!" the first page pronounces in large type. And indeed, the overheated elephants look down in the mouth, as do the panting tiger and the pained rhinoceros on the following pages. Relief comes when the baby leads its mother--and presumably the other animals--down to the water. The cool blue rushes to fill the pages, as the elephants squirt and splash, and the rhinoceros goes "Splosh." Refreshed and happy at last, the animals have the baby elephant to thank for the excellent idea--"What a happy, cool, clever little baby elephant!" This simple, winning picture book captures the pure exaltation of a run through the sprinkler on a hot, hot day. (Baby to preschool)

Lovely:
McDonnell's paintings are gorgeous, there's no two ways about it. That and the simple but exuberent plot make for a winner of a picture book for toddlers.

Great elephant book for little kids!!:
The little elephant is hot and leads the other animals to the water for a drink and a splash. The pictures are beautiful and the words are simple and catchy. My 3 year old loves this book - and knows the entire story. Great book to initiate conversations about how to cool off during the hot summer, as well as talking about animal behaviors.

Captivating and Unique:
a lovely baby's introduction to Indian wildlife. There is so much infant literature already out there depicting the African savannah, this is a nice change. The illustrations are absolutely stunning--one feels the largeness of the elephants, the heat, the coolness of the water. The text is sparse, simple and energetic and keeps baby's interest. My 8 month old loves this book.

A masterful presentation:
Big, bold, and bright are words that describe McDonnell's expressive illustrations. Warm yellows and then cooler blue undertones subtly reinforce the heat, and subsequent refreshment you can almost feel along with the sweltering jungle animals who find a fun way to cool down on a hot, hot day-a rich accompaniment to the slim, streamlined, straightforward text. Well done!

A consistent pleaser:
My son was given this book for his first birthday and it's been a consistent favorite since. The text is extremely simple and repetitive which I think is good for very young readers. I am sure this book is one of the reasons that "hot" was one of his first words. However, I think the main reason that he likes it is because we both bang the pages hard as I say "splash!" and likewise act out "whoosh sploosh" and "squirt squirt". For this reason our copy is looking pretty battered by now - but we've had a lot of fun along the way!