B Wildsmith's Amaz World/Words

In this British import, each of Wildsmith's dynamic and crowded illustrations is surrounded by a swarm of small pictures that label elements in the spread. The explosively colored, kaleidoscopic ""Space"" scene, for example, includes an angular, abstract ""sun""; a cubist, candy-colored ""space capsule""; and a handful of vivid ""planets."" Tabs down the side of the pages enable readers to turn quickly to the spread of their choice. A brightly colored spaceship, which looks like something Willie Wonka would dream up on acid, skims through each scene to provide continuity. Wildsmith's quirky, dense style works especially well for the hectic jumble of produce and people in ""Market"" and for the fanciful costumes of ""School Play."" He is fond of housing his items in elaborately drawn architectural elements, like the vaulted arches soaring over a blue-and-purple spotted Corythosaurus and a hot pink Brachiosaurus in ""Dinosaurs."" Many readers may need Wildsmith's key to identify the more peculiar renderings of objects. Literal-minded children might be thrown by this unconventional take on the word book, but most are likely to enjoy poring over these odd and whimsically conceived scenes. Ages 5-8. (Mar.)