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

 

Tomfoolery! Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age of Children’s Books by Michelle Markel

Illustrations by Barbara McClintock

Pre-K - 6th grade selection - Informational/Biography category - Juvenile

Genre or category

Juvenile Non-Fiction

Information/Biography

Target Age Group

Ages 5 - 9

1st - 3rd grade according to NoveList (EBSCOhost, 2023)

Summary

This book gives a succinct biography of Randolph Caldecott, the innovator of modern children’s book illustrations. Readers will follow his life from adolescence to young adulthood, while he perfects his craft and makes a name for himself, solidifying his place in children’s book history. His works are so revered that the annual award given for children’s picture books was created for and named after him.

Justification

My local public library has this book cataloged and shelved as a Juvenile Non-Fiction, and is tagged as a biography (Tulsa City-County Library [TCCL], n.d.). This new book has not been awarded any accolades or honors just yet, but both the author and the illustrator have won several awards for their other works making them qualified contributors to this story (TCCL, n.d.). This short book also includes the proper citations for all recreated works within the book's pages as well as references for research information.

Evaluation

For this review, I will be evaluating tone, illustrations, and setting.

Michelle Markel may have written a children’s book, but she uses her skills and knowledge to introduce new words to be added to children’s vocabulary and also creates an open environment that is welcoming for learning. The first words children will see after flipping past the title page are “Come on in (Markel, p. 2), this phrase alone is reminiscent of getting down on a child’s level and communicating with them rather than speaking down to them. This is important as it sets the tone for the rest of the book, and highlights the importance of how we communicate with children through written language. Although the overall language throughout the book is written with young readers in mind, Markel still took the opportunity to use vocabulary that is more impactful to the story and helps you get a feel for who Randolph Caldecott may have been. Even in print, the words of choice move the story and add emphasis, which is a direct inspiration from Caldecott’s own children’s book artwork.

Tomfoolery! is filled with several reproductions of Randolph Caldecott’s published illustrations, but Barbara McClintock created beautiful illustrations of her own that appear to be inspired by the style of Caldecott’s work. Each of the illustrations in this book aids in telling the story, moves the story along, and even helps set the mood. McClintock deftly uses lines and colors to her advantage as every page has bright illustrations that give the illusion of joyful movement which is fitting to this adventurous story. Combined with Markel’s words, McClintock’s illustrations lead readers to believe that Randolph Caldecott was an adventurous, bright, and joyful man.

The illustrations and the reproductions of articles and artwork also establish the setting of this story. While Markel establishes the progression of time, first stating that in the 1850s children’s books were not what they are today (p. 4), and even notes Randolph Caldecott’s first job at the age of 15 (p. 8). From there, the marking of time is illustrated for the readers by the change in Caldecott’s appearance most notably in the illustration of facial hair. To further set the scene and period of Caldecott’s story, the author and illustrator included reproduced prints of old newspaper articles, and most notably marked this story in the Victorian Era in the clothes seen on the people within the illustrated pages. By including old newspaper clippings, taking inspiration from Caldecott for McClintock’s original illustrations, and incorporating Caldecott’s artwork itself allow for this story to be set within its own time period to further showcase the impact that Randolph Caldecott had on children’s books.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Michelle Markel and Barbara McClintock gave a name and a story to an award that I grew up hearing about. It made Randolph Caldecott real, not just the name of medal. I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I loved the inclusion of original artwork and reproductions of Caldecott himself. I thought it was a great way to tell his story and honor his legacy.

 

References and other Helpful Resources

EBSCOhost. (2023). Tomfoolery! Randolph Caldecott and the rambunctious coming-of-age of children’s books (B. McClintock, Illus.). NoveList. https://search-ebscohost-com.db.tulsalibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=11154324&site=novp-live

Goodreads. (n.d.). Tomfoolery! Randolph Caldecott and the rambunctious coming-of-age of children’s books (B. McClintock, Illus.). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37953010-tomfoolery?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=XhAiUnCHhB&rank=3

Markel, M. (2023). Tomfoolery! Randolph Caldecott and the rambunctious coming-of-age of children’s books (B. McClintock, Illus.). Chronicle Books.

Tulsa City-County Library. (n.d.). Tomfoolery! Randolph Caldecott and the rambunctious coming-of-age of children’s books (B. McClintock, Illus.). Catalog. https://tccl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S63C6550504