SPLASH!

Handsome wildlife paintings distinguish this book from McDonnell (I Love Animals, 1994, etc.). The setting is India in the summer, and, predictably, it’s “hot, hot, hot!” A mother elephant and her baby, a tiger, and a rhinoceros are all feeling the heat. Tongues loll, movement is limited; they barely shuffle to the wallow. Once there, they stand around until the baby elephant has an idea. He loads up and squirts a snootful at his mother; soon, all the animals are engaged in a splash fight that delights as much as it refreshes. McDonnell’s animals have a mythopoetic radiance, painted in colors that will have readers reaching for a cool drink. (Picture book. 3-6)