THE GORILLA IN THE HALL

Akin to Gackenback's Whatzit in the basement (above), the gorilla that lurks in Jack's hall by the grandfather clock is just one more scary monster who disappears--""back home to the zoo, or to Jack's imagination, whichever it was""--when he's confronted. For when his scariest faces fail to frighten Jack, the gorilla is reduced to tears, and then to a cowering mass with thumb in mouth. What follows is even less inspired, with Jack teaching the gorilla that a smile feels much better than the other faces. And despite the gorilla's varied expressions and antics, Paul Galdone's pictures are as tame and uninvolving as the story.