ZOVA Books is pleased to announce the release of Escape from Hat, a children’s novel from author Adam Kline and Scottish artist Brian Taylor. Crafted for young readers, yet endowed with a distinctive humor adults are sure to enjoy, “Escape from Hat” tells the story of one lucky rabbit, one sinister black cat, and the unwitting boy to whom they both lay claim. The book reimagines the classic hero’s journey, combining a traditional epic narrative with a contemporary aesthetic. The result has garnered considerable praise.

Chris Wedge, Oscar-winning director of Ice Age, cites the book’s notable peers. “Escape from Hat is effortless fantasy,” he writes, “a modern cousin to the works of Lewis Carroll, A. A. Milne, and L. Frank Baum, that comes alive in your hands. It is an exquisite pastiche of story, prose, and illustration – which is a five-dollar way of saying it is a very good book.”

Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is equally enthusiastic. “This is a classic fairy tale laced with the wit of a contemporary humorist, and the intensity of Taylor’s artwork is breathtaking,” says Eastman. “Escape from Hat is truly a grand adventure, completely original and just so totally cool.”

Oscar-nominated Mark Osborne, director of Kung Fu Panda, observes the novel’s wide appeal. “As if Tolkien himself secretly penned an epic saga of battle-laden ‘Hello Kitty’ fan fiction, ‘Escape from Hat’ conjures up a vast realm of pure imagination, filled to the brim with wit, adventure, romance, and robots.”

Escape from Hat is the story of Leek, an especially talented lucky rabbit thrust into the shadowy realm of “Hat” when a seemingly benign magic trick turns foul. Leek seeks only return to his ward, a young boy now rendered helpless against the whims of Millikin, a particularly devious black cat. But Millikin’s powers know no bounds, and the villain vows to end Leek’s quest before it can even begin – condemning the boy to a life of unending ill luck. So begin the parallel journeys of a rabbit and his boy, who together remind us that loyalty, love, and friendship are the greatest magics of all.

The hardcover and digital versions of “Escape from Hat” launch exclusively through Amazon on September 4, 2012.