Quick! If you don't move fast you're going to miss him—there he goes—Randolph Caldecott, future famous illustrator. His sketchbook is full of hurly-burly: wild weather, frisky animals, and people so sprightly they can barely hold onto the pages.

But in the 1850s, there are no children's books like that. Not yet. Many are published, but their pictures look stiff, full of pretty poses and cluttered scenery. No one has imagined how much fun an illustrated book can be...

Because the future hero of children's book illustration is just a lad.

From the dust jacket