Randolph Caldecott (1846–1886)

Utterly morbid. I know stories for children in earlier times spoke more freely about subjects like death, but this was just awful. And then after turning the final page I read this promo for Caldecott's books - “The humour of Randolph Caldecott’s drawings is simply irresistible, no healthy-minded man, woman, or child could look at them without laughing.” Well only a nutter would laugh at this.

This lovely book - a beautifully produced hardcover with substantial paper stock and an appealing earth-tone palette - reproduces eight of Randolph Caldecott's classic picture books, taken from the collection of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. A late nineteenth-century English artist, Caldecott belonged - like his contemporaries Walter Crane and Kate Greenaway - to what is often called the "Golden Age" of children's book illustration. American readers will undoubtedly show more recognize his name, which the American Library Association chose for its annual Caldecott Medal - awarded to the best-illustrated children's book of the year.

The texts Caldecott chose for his picture books includes such classic nursery rhymes as The House That Jack Built, Sing a Song of Sixpence, The Queen of Hearts, and Hey Diddle Diddle, as well as songs like The Milkmaid, The Farmer's Boy, and The Three Jovial Huntsmen. William Cowper's poem, The Diverting History of John Gilpin, also makes an appearance. I'm not sure that today's children will find these books especially appealing, as stories, but the artwork is simply gorgeous! Alternating between color plates and simple drawings, they have a distinctly Victorian aesthetic, while also being sprightly and humorous.

I savored this book, delighting in the illustrations (particularly those for The Queen of Hearts), and am grateful to my friend Kathryn for recommending this one. Anyone with an interest in the history of children's literature, and its accompanying illustrations, would do well to familiarize themselves with Caldecott's work. This handy volume is a step in that direction! show less

More of a poetic, than an illustrated book, this is written and illustrated by the originator of the Caldecott Awards for illustrations.

the text and illustrations are old and dated, but overall worth reading.

The sad story of Mrs Mary Blaize conveyed with some irony, 'at church, in silks ands satins new, with hoop of monstrous size, she never slumber'd in her pew', accompanied by excellent illustration in her crinoline