Topsy Turvies

Like his previous Upside-Downers , this is another product of Anno's poetic imagination that challenges preconceived notions of the possibilities of space. If a playground is the ideal place for exploring new horizons and skimming over such hurdles as boundaries and dead ends, then Anno has simply replaced play-blocks with spatial dimensions, constructing mazes of up-and-down and right-and-left, criss-crossing staircases that lead nowhere, loops of endless motion and varied perspective, oceanic vastness pouring out of an open bottle and intricate networks of roads, cars and traffic signs. In the last spread, the artist literally borrows from M. C. Escher's Waterfall ; the whole wordless book is a variation on Escher's theme of infinite loops and conceptual space. Children will wholeheartedly welcome Anno's elfin, dancing-on-the-ceiling troops and will treasure this book as an unlimited source of entertaining wackiness and thought-provoking fun. All ages. (May)