Cartoon axolotl surfing a curling ocean wave with sun, clouds, palm tree, shells, and starfish.

Smiling Axolotl Surfing a Big Beach Wave

A grinning axolotl balances on a striped surfboard as a curling wave rises beside a sunny beach with shells and a palm.

🎨 How to color it

Color the axolotl bubblegum pink, the curling wave bright turquoise, the surfboard lemon yellow, and the beach shells coral and peach. The wave has long swooping bands, so try broad crayon strokes that follow the curve from the foamy top down to the splash. Add a pale orange glow around the smiling sun to make the cool blue water feel extra sparkly.

The story behind this coloring page

Pip’s Wave-Shadow Game — Every day, when the tide made silver shivers on the sand, Pip slid his little board along the foam and played Wave-Shadow. Read the full story →

Every day, when the tide made silver shivers on the sand, Pip slid his little board along the foam and played Wave-Shadow. He tried to keep his shadow tucked inside the wave’s shadow, swish by swish, while the air smelled like salt and warm shells.

Until one day, a tall curl rose up with a soft roar and moved faster than any shadow Pip had chased. Because of that, he leaned where the cool shade bent. Because of that, his board hummed under his toes and carried him right into the green-blue hush beneath the curl.

“Here,” whispered Pip. The wave did not toss him away; it made a round room of light, spray, and sun. At last, Pip let his shadow rest with the wave’s shadow, exactly where it fit. Can you find the place where the silver shivers begin?