LOOKING FOR ATLANTIS

The tale announcing the theme is quickly told: The ten-year-old narrator's grandfather returns from a life at sea to tell of fabulous Atlantis, to he found in his sea chest along with ""Everything you could ever want...if you know where to look for it""; then he sets out ""on his final voyage, across a sea of dreams."" Grieving but curious, the boy explores from the attic down. In the end he understands that ""hopes and dreams are not just inside your head, and that I could keep Atlantis and Grandfather in my heart forever."" Meanwhile, unseen by the boy, worlds within worlds swarm in Thompson's intricate surreal art -- quaint houses and fanciful populations tucked into bookcases or peering from under rugs, fish flying in a window and into a TV, outdoor vistas springing from indoor furniture while book titles and labels pun or philosophize in every cranny. Captivating.