By Cyrisse Jaffee

Two new kids’ books celebrate books, reading, and illustrators — perfect for the young bibliophile in your life.

Books Make Good Friends, written and illustrated by Jane Mount. Candlewick, 2023.

Tomfoolery! Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age of Children’s Books by Michelle Markel. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. Candlewick, 2023.

Despite an obvious dose of bibliotherapy, the wonderfully detailed pictures of piles and piles of books — real titles that kids will recognize — in Books Make Good Friends more than compensate for its unmistakable message. Ginger-haired Lotti wears glasses and is shy and quiet. She prefers books to people because, “Books can transport you onto the back of a unicorn, to the burrow of a tiny mouse, or to a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean.” Friendships come easily to other kids, but Lotti feels awkward and prefers to read by herself on the playground. Her noisy, lively family loves her, but she would rather read in her room, along with her cat Ramona and her stuffed bunny named Marshmallow.

Gradually, Lotti begins to join in. Before going on a family hike, her mother gives her a nonfiction volume about nature. When Lotti meets a deer and a chipmunk, she is excited to realize that “all the cool things in the book are actually out here!” A real turning point comes when Lotti asks the librarian for a book about making friends. Lo and behold, she notices another kid reading the same title. Not only do they become friends, but they also finally connect with other kids at school over the kinds of books each one likes.

The chatty narrative and the cheerful outcome are de rigueur, although Lotti’s transformation comes off as a bit forced; it seems unlikely that she has remained so isolated for so long. But the lively, colorful illustrations of the book stacks make this a unique and heartwarming tribute to the joys of reading. Even the characters from the books sometimes crowd the page, giving the narrative lots of positive energy and appeal. (Fans will recognize Mount’s style from her earlier love letter to books, Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany.) Lotti is also a sympathetic and observant narrator who is easy to relate to. The text is simple for beginning readers, but avid readers K–5 will pore over the pictures to spot their favorites. Even reluctant readers may decide that books may not be so bad after all.

To take on illustrating a volume about the innovative 19th-century children’s book illustrator Randolph Caldecott is no small task, but Barbara McClintock, a well-known and award-winning artist, is more than up to the challenge. Aided by a spirited narrative by Michelle Markel, the duo manages to bring what could have been a dull story very much to life. It’s an excellent accompaniment to one of Markel’s previous books about another pioneer in the field, Balderdash! John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children’s Books, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter (2017).

Caldecott, for whom the prestigious Caldecott Medal is named (awarded each year by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American picture book for children), cannot stop drawing. Born in England in 1846, Caldecott knew art was his calling from a very young age. Despite chronic ill-health, he is already busy “painting sculpting illustrating reporting,” when he is asked to illustrate a picture book for children.

Caldecott’s experiences as a journalist, skilled magazine and newspaper illustrator, and cartoonist, along with his naturalistic, action-oriented style, help him revolutionize the genre: “In the 1850s,” the author explains, “children’s books are filled with pictures that are stiff, full of pretty poses and cluttered scenery. No one [has yet] imagined how much fun an illustrated book could be.” But Caldecott’s drawings of people “burst with personality. They jitter with life.” His first picture book is a success with critics and readers. “He has poured joy into his characters. He has built entire worlds for them to romp through,” they exclaim.

Although now many would consider Caldecott’s bucolic countryside and pink-cheeked rural characters charming but old-fashioned, he paved the way for a whole new approach to kids’ books. Tomfoolery! Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age of Children’s Books is an engaging biography that includes reproductions of Caldecott’s art, as well as extensive annotations, historical context, a bibliography, and a list of Caldecott’s picture books. For those in the children’s literature field, this book is a boon. But kids themselves will also enjoy this tale of someone who broke the mold and inspired generations that followed. (The vocabulary and context may make this work best as a read-aloud.) Perhaps it will encourage the budding young artist in your life, too!

Cyrisse Jaffee is a former children’s and YA librarian, children’s book editor, and a creator of educational materials for WGBH. She holds a master’s degree in Library Science from Simmons College and lives in Newton, MA.