The Squeaky Door
PreSchool-Grade 3–When staying with his grandparents, a boy is frightened by the squeaky door to his bedroom. To comfort him, Grandma puts various animals in bed with him. In MacDonald's retelling, she tries a cat, dog, pig, and horse. When the bed breaks, the boy gets to sleep with his grandparents. The next morning Grandma oils the door, repairs the bed, and the child sleeps soundly after that. Other retellings include Laura Simms'sThe Squeaky Door(Random, 1991), Judith Mathews and Fay Robinson'sNathaniel Willy, Scared Silly(S & S, 1994), and Pat Thomson'sThe Squeaky, Creaky Bed(Doubleday, 2003). This one is very similar to the language in Simms's version. All of the retellings are funny, and children enjoy the absurdity of the situation. DePalma's bright and colorful cartoon illustrations are full of humorous details, but are not large enough to share with a group. This book is best suited for one-on-one sharing and is also a great choice to add to storytelling repertoires.–Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, ORCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.