Who is Randolph Caldecott?
The man who lends his name to this eminent award, Randolph Caldecott, grew up in the Shropshire countryside of England in the late 1800s. Around 1878 he began to work on the illustrations for nursery rhymes, poems, and stories that made him famous. No one before him had drawn such humorous animals or such reckless figures. His illustrations are indeed lovely, inspired, and original creations. His paintings are vigorous and expressive, showing lots of detail and displaying lots of action. His work owes much to the bold experiments going on in color printing at that time due to the efforts of master engraver Edmund Evans. Together with fellow artists Kate Greenaway and Walter Crane, Caldecott veritably ushered in a new era in children’s picture books. How is “Distinguished” Defined? The Caldecott Award committee is given certain criteria for the daunting task of choosing the winning book. The criteria include originality and excellence of the illustrations, and the creation of a work tha
