DOG & HAT AND THE LUNAR ECLIPSE PICNIC

What will happen when Ant wants to follow her dreams but Hat wants to follow the rules?

Ant has a dream in which her mother tells her to visit her cousins on the moon. Her roommates, Dog and a talking green hat, had already been planning a picnic in honor of the upcoming lunar eclipse, so Dog proposes moving their get-together to the moon. Skeptical Hat tells them that’s impossible, but, as Dog points out, “Everything is impossible if you don’t try.” The trio head upstairs to Bunny Dream’s apartment (being from Dreamland, Bunny “does things a little differently”), where they’re initially stopped by Steven, a stern porcine guard; some wonderfully wacky M.C. Escher–esque sequences ensue. With a bit of moon magic, a long climb up a ladder made of ants, and a willingness to flout Steven’s strict regulations, they arrive on the moon and enjoy eclipse celebrations like dinosaur races, a moon maze, and a moon crumb-eating contest. Rule-follower Hat has a hard time adjusting to the madcap world of the moon but eventually loosens up. Moon magic, it seems, is positive thinking. Silly jokes (“How does the moon cut its hair?” “Eclipse it!”), philosophical wisdom (“But if you believe anything is possible, then it becomes true. Nothing is impossible!”), and chaotic, bright illustrations abound. A few facts about lunar eclipses and the moon pop up, though this wonderfully surreal outing is grounded more in magic than in science.

This out-of-this-world adventure proves that with good friends and happy thoughts, any dream can be realized.