The Mouse That Snored

In Waber's (Did You See a Mouse?) latest tale starring a feisty rodent, the title character takes up residence in a house whose occupants--a couple and their cat and parrot--are extraordinarily quiet. They rarely speak and never indulge in ""noisy food"" such as carrots or celery; ""They ate instead,/ stewed tomatoes,/ mashed potatoes,/ and puddings made of bread."" The household gets quite a shock one stormy night, when the mouse steals inside, helps himself to a snack, falls asleep and begins to snore--loudly. ""His snores were roars/ with whistling encores./ And each snore was louder/ than the snore before."" The cacophony sets off a comical chain of events (pots and pans rattle, light fixtures tremble) and the residents awaken. Winning them over with his tale of woe, the mouse receives an invitation to stay, as well as lessons in being quiet, except while sleeping. The story has an inventive premise, yet the verse occasionally suffers from a faltering rhythm and rhyme scheme (e.g., ""The quiet man's wife/ padded about in slippers./ She never made the faintest sound/ not even while zipping zippers""). More consistently entertaining are Waber's whimsically arranged pictures, which feature a diverse palette in pastel and vivid hues. His diverting images of this whiskered hero will surely endear the diminutive fellow to young readers. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)