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?

From Graeme Base, the international bestselling author of Animalia, comes The Water Hole, an exciting and fun counting book that makes numbers as engaging as a vibrant jungle full of wild animals. “An absorbing visual feast.” –Kirkus Reviews One Rhino drinking at the water hole. “Snort, splosh!” (Mmm, delicious!) Two Tigers lapping at the water hole. “Grrrrr!” (Goodness gracious, how very delectable!) Three Toucans squawking around the water hole. “Ark, ark! Arrrk!” (It’s party time, fellas! Drink up!) Children will love counting from one to 10 as animals of the world gather around a water hole. As one rhino gives way to two tigers, then three toucans, on up to 10 kangaroos, die-cut pages reveal the water hole in 10 different worldwide habitats, from African plains to Himalayan mountains to the Australian outback. But the water hole keeps shrinking, and with it the number of frolicking frogs. Can anything bring back the water that the animals all need to survive? A stunning fusion of counting book, puzzle book, storybook, and art book with timeless colors and humor, The Water Hole features the layers of interest that make Graeme Base’s books among the world’s best-loved picture books. Careful readers will find additional animals, many of them endangered, silhouetted in the borders of every spread and hiding within every landscape. It’s a book children will ask to be read again and again.