Squeak-A-Lot

A lonely mouse sets out to find a playmate, but the animals that he encounters enjoy games that do not interest him--the bee likes ``Buzz-a-lot''; the dog suggests ``Woof-a-lot''; the chicken prefers ``Cluck-a-lot''; and the big cat scares him away with a loud ``Wham! Bam! Scram!'' But in the long grass, the mouse hears the familiar ``Squeak!'' of other mice, and he proceeds to teach them the games that he learned from the other animals. Coming from their own small mouths, these various sounds suit the mice just fine--in fact, they like them ``a lot.'' Children will display less enthusiasm for Waddell's ( We Love Them ; The Park in the Dark ) humdrum story. Also disappointing are Miller's rudimentary illustrations--their drab colors rob the pages of sparkle. Ages 3-up. ( May )