There's a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor

Bulbous-nosed musician Mr. Snore stifles a yawn as he checks into the posh Sharemore Hotel in this droll story by Bradford (Around the World in a Bathtub). When the bellhop escorts him to a room, he swaps his tuxedo for pajamas--without removing his bow tie--and is vexed to find a mouse in his bed. Mr. Snore demands a new room ("Somebody is sleeping on my pillow"), and the bellhop shows him to one on the next floor, where he discovers he's sharing a bed with a pig (who hogs the covers). The bellhop's unflappability comically contrasts the hotel guest's escalating exasperation as they climb the stairs to one room after another, encountering dangling spiders, giraffes, and a mazelike hamster colony. Finally, Mr. Snore is able to do just that, curled up in an enormous bed belonging to the title character ("Somebody is sleeping on my pillow!"). Acrylic and ink pictures by Hawkes (Imagine That!) amplify the tale's humor with such playful flourishes as snakes wrapped around the art-deco hotel's pillars, a rodent perched on a chandelier, and Mr. Snore and the dinosaur's matching pince-nez and bunny slippers. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

PreS-Gr 1--Readers will notice early on that there is something a bit unusual about the Sharemore Hotel. When an exhausted Mr. Snore checks in, he doesn't notice the twin snakes wrapping around the front desk's posts and heads straight for his bed on the first floor. He is nonplussed to find a mouse asleep on his pillow. When he calls to complain, the bellhop explains that the mouse has had a rough day and suggests a room on the second floor, which turns out to be occupied by a pig. Unsatisfactory rooms abound right up to the 13th floor where Mr. Snore finds an empty, quiet place with absurdly large accommodations. He promptly falls asleep. The final call to the bellhop comes from the rightful inhabitant of the 13th floor: a dinosaur unhappy about finding Mr. Snore asleep in his bed. Acrylic and ink illustrations show a cheerful bellhop and a growing assortment of creatures congregating at the front desk of the Sharemore Hotel. VERDICT A fun addition to bedtime-themed books that is perfectly suited for one-on-one or small group sharing.--Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA