Monkey's Crazy Hotel: Stephen Wyllie

A thin monkey opens a large hotel and gets three guests: a tall giraffe thatwill need a long, narrow bed; a turtle that will require a short, tiny bed; and a fat hippopotamus with a bulk and form for which only a strong, hard bed will do. When the lights go out, only the monkey makes it safely to his own bed; each of the other guests has to fit into completely unsuitable beds intended for someone else. The emphasis is on adjectives in this exuberant rebus-style book, which features pictures hidden under flaps with text, as well as cheerful full-page illustrations. In sunny colors that include a pumpkin orange and a robin's egg blue, the pictures show the monkey's oblivion to the complexities of inn-keeping and his blithe decision, finally, to become a restaurateur. Ages 4-8. (October)