Cartoon elephant spraying water beside a leafy tree, grass, clouds, and a smiling sun.

Smiling Elephant Sprays Water Under a Sunny Tree

A cheerful elephant lifts its trunk to splash water beside tall grass, a leafy tree, puffy clouds, and a smiling sun.

🎨 How to color it

Color the elephant soft gray, the leafy tree a mix of olive and spring green, the smiling sun golden yellow, and the water drops pale blue. Use sharp colored pencils for the many small leaves and grass blades, then fill the elephant’s larger body with smooth, even strokes. Try making the water spray fade from blue near the trunk to almost clear at the farthest drops.

The story behind this coloring page

Why Water Arches — All morning, a young elephant named Pavi packed damp river sand into tiny cups made from curled leaves. Read the full story →

All morning, a young elephant named Pavi packed damp river sand into tiny cups made from curled leaves. He had invented Toss-the-Drop, a quiet game where he scooped water with his trunk and tried to land each splash on the thirsty grass tufts without bending a single blade. The savanna smelled warm and dusty, and the tree above him clicked softly as beetles moved under its bark.

At first, the drops fell in fat plops around his feet. Pavi frowned, shaped his trunk into a careful curve, and blew more gently. The water rose, hung bright in the sun, then rained down exactly where the grass was dry. “I made a sky-path,” he whispered.

The tree’s leaves shivered as if clapping. From then on, elephants curved their trunks when they watered the earth, and water has traveled in arches ever since. Next time you see a spray midair, can you spot Pavi’s proud sky-path?