Judging

My favorite Newbery book

Loads of post ideas floating around in my gourd, but when it comes time to actually write them...I get squeamish. I have lots of drafts saved!

Fact: people judge books by their covers.

Especially children.

If a book is dirty, tattered-looking, visited the bindery for recovering, decked out in a dated-looking cover, and/or sporting tape on its the edges, chances are pretty high that a child isn't going to want anything to do with it. One of my projects at work: reviewing the Newbery Award collection and making recommendations as to which copies should be replaced and with what edition.

While working on this project, I have been disappointed by some of the newer editions with  their supposedly "improved" covers -- many of them are...well...unimproved. I was pleased when I stumbled upon Travis Jonker's blog, 100 Scope Notes -- specifically: Covering the Newbery. He went through and re-designed each Newbery book cover.

Simple. Timeless designs.

Brilliant idea...