PreSchool-Grade 2 In one or two lines of text per page and large, boldly colored illustrations, Mercer tells the tale of a little boy who is sure that there is an alligator under his bed. Getting no sympathy from his parents who ``never saw it,'' he forms a plan of attack. He leaves a trail of food from his bed through the house to the garage door. He then follows behind as the alligator gobbles up the goodies, fresh vegetables, fruit, and even ``the last piece of pie,'' making its way to the garage. The boy then locks the door. The last page shows the note he leaves for his father, telling him that there's an alligator in the garage and to wake him up ``if you need help.'' Children will relate to this young hero's triumph over normal childhood fears, and they'll love his clever solution to his problem. The book gleams with crisp full-color watercolor illustrations, and the alligator has just the right touch of scariness. The little boy is obviously a child of the 1980s, with his hot wheels tricycle and robot transformer type toys, but the story is timeless. Sure to become as popular as Mayer's There's a Nightmare in My Closet

This book was the book that one of my sons learned how to read. I could almost tell this story with my eyes closed. Jared would have to read this story to me every night. It was his only book to read. I wanted him to master the elements of reading. This book was his practice. I always taught my kids that no one has the power to take knowledge away from you. If you want to know anything, you will find it in the pages of a book. And newsflash, you cannot do too much of anything if you cannot read. So each one of them had a starter book when they were 4 years old. This one was Jared's, of which he always tells me that he is glad that I cared that much. Maybe I just didn't want the alligator under his bed (you might get that later). ( )

As a young girl, I loved reading books by Mercer Mayer because they encouraged me to use my imagination. This book in particular is something so many kids can relate to-and its humorous! This book may seem like it could cause children to have nightmares, but the way the main character dealt with the alligator gives the reader a sense of comic relief. The illustrator did a fantastic job capturing the expressions of the characters in the book, which made it come to life even more. This book would be suitable for younger elementary school kids as it introduces them to beginner level literary aspects. ( )

When my children were small we owned a similar book, There's a Nightmare in My Closet, but this one is good, too. The small boy in this tale has an alligator living under his bed, but when his parents check they never see it. How is he supposed to handle the situation? Told with funny illustrations. ( )

This book was so cute! A little boy was having trouble sleeping because he had an alligator under his bed. He would call in his parents but they never saw it. The little boy planned a trap to get the alligator out from under his bed. He gathered food and put a trail of food to end in the garage. The alligator followed the trail to the garage and the boy felt safe and ready to sleep again. This is a good story for young ones who are afraid of the dark or the "boogie" man. ( )