A picture book debut by a rising talent tells a cumulative tale with a cheeky twist, aided by graphically simple, and truly hilarious, illustrations.

The bear's hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others.

But just as it he begins to lose hope, lying flat on his back in despair, a deer comes by and asks a rather obvious question that suddenly sparks the bear s memory and renews his search with a vengeance.

Told completely in dialogue, this quirky take on the classic repetitive tale plays out in sly illustrations laced with visual humour and winks at the reader with a wry irreverence that will have kids of all ages thrilled to be in on the joke.