I Meant to Clean My Room Today

""I meant to clean my room todaybut a big white lion gave a roar. He would not let me out the door.'' So begins the day-long adventure: the book's heroine, who remains nameless, cavorts with a succession of creatures she imaginatively cultivates from the disarray that surrounds her. Her friends lead her into a variety of activities: rollerskating, reading and becoming a grown-up singer with a hairbrush microphone. The hours pass quickly, and by the end of the day the room is perhaps a bit messier than it was in the beginning. The verse occasionally seems forced: ``a fat blue pig came to get clean, I filled up the tubso as not to be mean,'' but overall the tone is lighthearted and fun. Nerlove's rainbow-hued watercolors, with delicate pen-and-ink accents, are festive and entertaining. Ages 4-8. (March)