Tomfoolery! Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age of Children's Books

First sentence: Come on in. A whole world lives and breathes inside these pages.

Premise/plot: A nonfiction picture book biography of illustrator Randolph Caldecott. While young readers may not have heard of Randolph Caldecott, there is a good chance they've heard the words "Caldecott."

The book focuses in on how Caldecott revolutionized the world of children's books, of children's publishing, changing what books printed and published for children actually literally look like.

My thoughts: I took a graduate course in the history of children's books. This book was a mini-refresher; it was a good reminder of how things were.

I think this one could be enjoyed by elementary age readers. But I also think it has the potential for older show more readers including adults.

I enjoyed the narrative text. I wanted to absolutely love the illustrations--since Randolph Caldecott was an illustrator himself. But I "merely" liked them. Not a big deal--personally. It isn't unusual for me to prefer text over illustrations OR illustrations over text.

So far this one has received FIVE starred reviews. This matters. Perhaps a little more than it should, it matters. It definitely raises expectations. It makes readers second guess themselves at times. Why didn't I absolute show less

I'm an adult, and I enjoyed this book immensely. I learned a lot about Randolph Caldecott that our professor at University of Wisconsin decades ago didn't have time to cover in his class on children's literature. My mother stocked our childhood bookshelves with the works of Randolph Caldecott (and Leslie Brooke) and every line of the illustrations remains dear to me. I was utterly delighted that Barbara McClintock's art is the perfect complement to Randolph Caldecott's; they appear harmoniously on the page together, each with a distinct yet similar style. Highly recommended.

Randolph Caldecott, whose name is on every book that is given the Caldecott Award for the best illustrated book of the year, was a child who had a heart condition. His parents kept him secluded in the hope he would heal.

He later attended college, and found that his skills were not in studying, but in his natural ability to draw wonderful, creative illustrations.

This book tells the story of his life, and how he revolutionized books from the staid drawings to those that seem to jump off the pages with energy and creativity.

Highly recommended.

A nifty little profile of the man for whom the Caldecott Medal is named, featuring plenty of his artwork in addition Barbara McClintock's fine work. Fun and educational.

This book is an interesting overview of the life of Randolph Caldecott and the beginning of children's literature.

The story of an artist and how his energetic illustrations for children's books changed the literary world forever. The illustrations do an excellent job of depicting Caldecott's style and capturing his spirit.

Cadecott contender

Saw Michelle Markel and Barbara McClintock at the Carle Museum to launch Tomfoolery - a fascinating look inside the research process for both author and illustrator.

See also: Balderdash!