Your favorite children's book covers
A special request
While digging around the internet for Sunday’s newsletter on Larry McMurtry and Beverly Cleary, I noticed a disturbing phenomenon. The cover from Runaway Ralph, which was a work of art in its original incarnation…
…has become something else in its current form:
I’d like to explore the phenomenon of changing (or not) book covers on enduring children’s books in my next column for the Chicago Tribune. I’m curious about a couple of things.
Which book covers do you remember and treasure from your own childhood? Have they been changed over time, or do they endure on the current editions?
What do you think about publishers updating covers for new generations and different sensibilities?
Please feel free to post any and all thoughts in the comments, or if you’re getting this via email, you can also reply to this message. If you have a comment, but would rather not see your first name in the newspaper and instead prefer anonymity, please let me know that as well.
Thanks for your help!
I know I am late to the game - but as a middle school librarian, I DEFINITELY see the need to update. Maybe not this particular cover, but I know that students don't want to read books where old-fashioned looking kids are on the cover. I even have to update books about things that don't change a lot (for instance, books about feelings) because my students don't want to read about outdated-looking kids.
I looked up a book we used to have in the house when my kids were young, "The Biggest Bear" by Lynd Ward. It seems that the cover has not changed, which is good to see.