Elephant Bathing

The Elephant and the Grumpy Duck The sun was hot, and Ellie the Elephant was having the absolute best time. She stood in the middle of the cool, blue river, splashed her feet, and went slurrrp with her long, wrinkly trunk.

Then, with a huge WHOOSH, she sprayed a giant fountain of water all over her back. "Ahhh," Ellie sighed. "Perfect."

But someone nearby was not happy.

A little mallard duck named Daisy was bobbing up and down on the water. Ellie’s giant splash had sent Daisy spinning around like a little toy boat! Daisy shook her feathers, paddled her webbed feet furiously, and marched right up to the giant elephant.

"Hey! Stop right there!" Daisy scolded, putting her wings on her hips. "There is no water here to waste like this!"

Ellie blinked her big, kind eyes and lowered her trunk. "Oh! I'm sorry, little duck. I was just cooling off."

"Well," Daisy huffed, puffing out her chest. "We ducks need a lot of water to swim around! If you spray it all into the air, there won't be any left for my afternoon paddle!"

Ellie couldn't help but giggle. She looked at the giant, wide river, and then looked down at the tiny duck.

What Happened Next... Ellie knelt down in the water so she was eye-to-eye with Daisy.

"You are a very responsible duck, Daisy," Ellie said gently. "It is important to take care of our river. But don't worry! Look where the water goes when I spray it."

Daisy watched as the water droplets fell right back down into the river with a soft pitter-patter.

"Oh," Daisy murmured, her yellow beak opening in surprise. "It goes right back in."

"Exactly!" Ellie smiled. "And since you've been working so hard keeping watch over the river, would you like to play a game?"

Daisy’s eyes lit up. "What kind of game?"

Ellie dipped her trunk into the water, aimed it straight up into the air, and blew a gentle, misty cloud. "Rainmaker!" Ellie cheered.

Daisy chirped with joy. She paddled happily in circles underneath the cool mist, realizing that there was plenty of river for everyone—especially when you share.