LEMUR DREAMER

Louis’ sleepwalking is getting out of hand!

The tall purple building at 32 Pebbly Ln. is a veritable zoo. Elephant, cow, alligator, hippo, owl, and more all live there together, leading “mostly unextraordinary lives.” But Louis the lemur is another matter. From his apartment on the very top floor, he has the unfortunate habit of sleepwalking. At first, he simply “snoozes” around the other apartments, but then he starts wandering the city. Concerned, his neighbors decide to follow him as he “snuffles” right into the middle of Pebbly Lane. They follow him up and down and across a telephone wire; it’s a late-night parade! Louis walks to a cliff, still fast asleep, and seems ready to step off. Can they catch him in time? They make an animal chain and grab his long fluffy tail in midair. Louis wakes up. His friends pull him back onto the cliff’s edge, and he describes “the MOST amazing dreams”: how he climbed Mount Everest, dazzled everyone on the tightrope at the circus, and went scuba diving. Suddenly he realizes the truth and gets highly embarrassed, but his friends are right there to cheer him up. Dicmas’ slight tale is a perfect vehicle for her imaginative illustrations and offbeat animals. Her friendly, loosely drawn shapes are colored in pastel blues, greens, and pinks, complemented by the rosy dawn as the sun comes up on Louis’ adventures.

Sweet and frolicsome.