THE SQUEAKY DOOR

A favorite story by a gifted storyteller makes a winning picture book. This tale of a grandmother who puts one animal after another into the bed of a child who's frightened by the sound of the squeaking door each time the grandmother tries to leave—until the accumulation of animals knocks down their house- -was originally inspired by a Puerto Rican folk tale. The outrageous exaggeration is delightfully comic; the repetitions invite spontaneous participation. Wickstrom's cartoon-style illustrations are appropriately lively and funny. (Picture book. 3-8)