CAROUSEL

The distinguished illustrator's style is as flamboyant and recognizable as ever, although the story here is unexceptional: Rosie has been sick for a long time, winter until spring; her friends (who look unsuitably like teen-agers) try to cheer her up with pictures they have painted, plus a toy carousel, which that night takes her on a journey of the imagination--reported in doggerel but illustrated with Wildsmith's usual splendor, rich in color and image, Needless to say, Rosie gets better: ""the carousel. . .had given her hope."" Wildsmith breaks no new ground here, but his illustrations are still a pleasure.