The Water Hole

I've been hearing good things about Australian picture-book author/artist Graeme Base for some time now, so when Water Hole was chosen as one of our April selections in the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, I was quite excited to sample his work! This beautifully-illustrated counting book

follows a series of animals, from all parts of the globe, as they come to the same watering hole to drink. A rhinoceros from Africa, two tigers from India, three toucans from South America, four snow leopards from the Himalayas, five moose from North America, and five other sets of creatures, all appear at the shrinking water hole, until the day there is nothing left. Is this the end of the story, or will the water return...?

This would be an excellent book to use to introduce the concept of rainy and dry seasons to younger children. Of course, the animals depicted don't all come from the same type of ecosystem, and many of them would never meet up in the wild, but the fantasy element allows Base to tie them all together, and to highlight the fact that all life is dependent upon water. The illustrations are eye-poppingly gorgeous, making this more than just a fun counting book! I imagine that children will enjoy poring over the artwork, finding and identifying all the animals in the paintings (each page has a little guide along the borders). Definitely one that young animal-lovers will want to check out!

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LibraryThing member donnammccoy

This author/illustrator is one of the best! This is a very simple counting book, with animals coming to a water hole (an ingenious cut-out in each page leading to number ten, where the water hole has dried up) It then goes through pages showing how a drought looks, but how the animals come back

when it rains. The illustrations are among the best I've seen.

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LibraryThing member jniehof

Graeme Base uses a Hungry Caterpillar-like device of a hole in the page, so that we can see what is on the next page. Children will love this. The illustrations are as rich as they ever are in a Base book, with each page stuffed to the brim with details and animals and hidden things for little eyes

to find. A watering hole is getting smaller and smaller as different animals gather around it looking for a drink. We start with one rhino and count up to ten kangaroos, so this would also serve as a counting book. At the end we find Base's inspiration for the animals, which I thought was awesome. Great book for any collection. PS. Pay attention to the frogs!

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LibraryThing member soccergirlbhd

The waterhole is an extraordinary place, where animals meet to get refreshed and replenished through drought and flood. Waterholes exist in many natural environments from the deserts of Australia, the savannahs of Africa and the jungles of the Amazon. Graeme Base has written and illustrated this

fantastic childrens book, The Waterhole. It is suitable for children aged 3 and up. Even I find it a fascinating read as it is factual and entertaining.

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LibraryThing member liss2

This book is used to teach children how to count from 1-10 using a variety of different animals from different continents and countries all surrounding a watering hole and they discuss the water cycle while teaching kids how to count. I would use the book for a kindergarten class room. It would be

great to teach them how to count and also as a fun little science lesson mixed into their counting.

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LibraryThing member mblessum

Beautifully illustrated counting book with a great choice onomatopoeia.
Ages: 3-5
Source: Classroom Library

LibraryThing member Kbenis1

This is a really fun book, it is set in a jungle and begins with just one rhino drinking at the watering hole and each page more and more animals show up at the watering hole to drink. The book counts up from one to ten. Animals come from all over like tigers, pandas, moose, and tortoises show up

to get some water! On each page it shows by cut out holes around the watering hole just how much water is left. When the ten kangaroos arrived to drink from the watering hole, there was nothing left for them to drink so every single last animal left. Until it rained hard one day and it rained and rained. All the animals celebrated and came together to drink from the watering hole. I loved that on the last page it told that reader where each of the animals from each page came from around the world. the rhino was from Africa while the four snow leopards came from the Himalayas. The story kept the reader informed about the need for water for all animals all over the world and was consistent in counting the animals up to ten. I loved animals growing up and I remember watching The Wild Thronberry's teach me about how much water animals need and what happens during a drought. The overall message of this book was to teach readers about counting to ten and to have an understanding of the need for water and that all the animals must leave if there isn't any water.

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LibraryThing member Sarah.Lew

This book is appropriate for second through sixth grade. This book can be used to make predictions but also shows what happens in a drought; it teaches readers that we should conserve and not be greedy.

LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin

Different groups of animals come to the watering hole to delight in the delicious water. But as time passes, the watering hole grows smaller and smaller...

This is an interesting book because there is so much going on with it. It is a counting book, with each page showing an increasing number of

animals from one to 10. Each page also shows the watering hole getting smaller through use of a cutaway illustration, something just different enough from your usual picture book that children will find it very appealing. The illustrations are, as is to be expected from Graeme Base, realistically detailed and stunningly beautiful. In addition, in the typical Base style of including a little challenge, there is an added bonus of border images that contain silhouetted animals, allowing readers to spend tons of extra time exploring all of these.

I read this book aloud to my 6-year-old niece, who enjoyed listening to it and requested it again as well. I could also see this working well in a preschool or elementary classroom setting for lessons on the environment in general and the water cycle in particular. Or it's just a good title to share with a group that particularly likes animals (which is most children, isn't it?).

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LibraryThing member cindratee

Anything by Graeme Base is fabulous!

LibraryThing member HeidiSki

As one rhino gives way to two tigers on up to ten kangaroos, die-cut pages reveal the water hole in ten different worldwide habitats, from African plains to Himalayan mountains to the Australian outback, in a beautifully illustrated counting book.

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