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. [em](Oct.) [/em]