Uncle Lester's Hat

This mischievous twist on a familiar story line relies on sustained irony to get its point across, but succeeds primarily on the basis of its lucid pictures. The eponymous toque--broad-brimmed and black, with a fuschia band--once belonged to adventuresome Great Uncle Lester but is now the possession of Uncle Wilfred, couch potato extraordinaire. One day, when Wilfred wears the hat outside to give it ``some air,'' it blows off his head and literally flies around the world. Humorous, simple illustrations of portly, respectable-looking Wilfred chasing the airborne chapeau through Europe, Africa, China and Hollywood are paired with his unsuspecting nephew's naive commentary about life on the homefront sans Wilfred: ``He should have been back by now. He's missing all his favorite shows.'' Although Eek and Meek cartoonist Schneider ( Amos: The Old Dog and His Couch ) captions every page, words soon become superfluous and even intrusive; while the clear drawings enable beginning readers to easily grasp the plot, the incongruous narrative may give them pause. Nevertheless, Schneider offers a lighthearted geography lesson that lacks only a map upon which to chart Wilfred's globetrotting escapades. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)