Don’t Splash Grandpa! (Why You Never #1)

Singsong couplets celebrate pool-time exuberance in this antic picture book from Gonzalez and Srinivasan. As children race to a community pool, simple lines cheer: “Goggles on—/ ready, set!/ It’s a pool day./ Let’s get wet!” Action-packed, digitally finished illustrations fill pages with feathery splashes while capturing the swimmers’ over-the-top hijinks. Meanwhile, alliterative rhymes entreat further boisterousness, with text emphasizing onomatopoeia (“Hit the water,/ SPLAT-A-SPLOOSH!/ To the ladder,/ SWIM AND SWOOSH!”) alongside the title’s refrain. As the children’s exploits grow in scale—their theatrical expressions conveying outsize glee—near-misses involving Grandpa provide comedic tension until the inevitable results in a surprising reveal. With a lively energy, the creative team entertainingly capture poolside chaos. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)