Hi everyone!
I hope you are enjoying a restful end to 2023! Since it’s nearly the new year, that means book awards are just around the corner. In January the ALA will announce the winning books for a variety of awards, including the Caldecott Medal, awarded to the “artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.” It is named after Randolph Caldecott who worked as an illustrator in England during the 1800s. His work set a new, modern, and accessible tone for kid book illustration.
When I was a teacher, I loved hosting annual Mock Caldecott Awards in my classroom. In the month leading up to the ALA Awards, I brought in stacks of books deemed as “Caldecott Contenders” by various librarians, writers, teachers, etc…
We’d read a new book a day, and the students would rate the book based on the illustrations, style, cover, and such. By the end of the month, each student elected their Caldecott winner. On the day of the awards, we watched the live stream of ALA Award Ceremony as kids crossed their fingers to hear the title of their chosen book. It was always so much fun!
So today I’d like to highlight a book that I’ve seen on a few lists for the January 2024 awards, because it’s about Mr. Caldecott himself!
It’s called Tomfoolery!: Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age of Children's Books and is written by Michelle Markel and illustrated by Barbara McClintock.
The book tells the story of Randolph Caldecott from his childhood through his adult life, and how he was always drawn art, just like many of us! The style of illustrations and palette feel like they’re from his time, and many of his original sketches and art are included in the book. Some back matter at the end of the book gives more information about each of these illustrations.
I’ve chosen three pages to share with you (as kid lit people!), because the text on each of these pages gets at the “rambunctious spirit” that we strive to bring to books for children. Caldecott set us up for the today’s modern picture book by bringing the artwork to the level of children, so it’s fascinating to reflect on his art journey and how it’s impacted ours today.