The King's Fool: A Book about Medieval and Renaissance Fools

In his humorous illustrations and well-conceived text, New Yorker cartoonist Fradon ( Harold the Herald ; Sir Dana: A Knight ) displays a wit that would do honor to any sharp medieval or renaissance fool, the subjects of his jovial account. The chatty narrator is Frambert, a 16th-century jester who springs into action from a display case in the medieval room of a museum. Frambert introduces a group of students to the tradition of buffoonery and offers anecdotal portraits of a handful of actual 16th- and 17th-century fools. Fradon uses a clever system of simplified footnotes (designated by colored dots rather than by numbers) to provide additional information, historical facts and definitions of unfamiliar words or period terms without encumbering his perky text. Also supplementing the narrative are numerous dialogue balloons (containing fools' rhymes and sallies) worked into cartoon-style pictures. Diverting descriptions of pranks and forms of entertainment typically performed by fools--including food fights and mock jousts--add to the fun. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)