I knew cover design was serious but I didn't realize it was THAT serious! Makes total sense, like these kids are putting into words what an adult brain would just process in a split second (about our own genres)
Interesting that you mentioned Gordon Korman's covers. I actually prefer his "faceless" ones. When he uses an animal in place of a kid (like on the cover for "Sleepless"), my students absolutely will not pick it up, convinced it's a story with talking animals! My middle schoolers, for the most part, will not be caught dead carrying a book that looks like it's about talking animals.
Hahaha good to know!! I didn’t like the Sleepless cover either but because I know his style by now, I just know the animal will have a random connection to the story. I think THE FORT and RESTART have excellent, timeless covers.
I think it would be very interesting to do a blind synopsis ranking (not showing the cover or revealing which cover it went with, though some might be obvious) after the covers are ranked.
It also might be interesting to show the synopsis and cover together and ask the kids if they think the cover’s execution matches the theme and tone.
It also might be interesting to know if award stickers help a book’s ranking, do nothing, or lower the book’s ranking for the kids. I know I love watching the award show at the beginning of the year and will grab books that won to see what I think. My kids don’t care about awards, but do other kids and does it change with age?
Great suggestions! The synopsis angle maybe good for a different series since I’m really honing in on the cover alone right now. But award stickers are definitely worth looking into!! Thanks, Katie!
This was an excellent read and so insightful!! Thank you for sharing the student feedback with us. The descriptions from the young readers were phenomenal, and now I want to read some of these titles!
That was quite an analysis!-- especially for me, since I'm an illustrator.
Funny, too, because it got me thinking: I just published a children's book for YOUNG readers, which means one's cover has to appeal to ADULTS-- namely, the parents and grandparents who will be BUYING the book for the young reader.
Many people think that way but the kids won’t read the books if they hate the cover 🤷🏽♀️Many parents tell me the kids just won’t pick them up if the covers don’t appeal. So I think covers should appeal to kids, not parents.
No argument, really. A child's picture book has to appeal to BOTH kids and parents. An adult will be buying the book, and you want the child to look at the cover and be anxious to open the book and plunge in. 👍
I had a new idea for the cover testing series. A this or that for UK vs USA covers, as well as other countries (unfortunately it probably skews to more popular authors/books who get multiple editions though).
It’s so interesting to see what kids think about the covers. I asked all my kids separately (all girls, 6, 7, 10, and 11) and Paradise was the highest rated over here. They really liked that there were two girls in the kid group. They also thought the eyes were intriguing/spooky and that they made the book more appealing, which was surprising because they didn’t always like the intensity in other covers.
We had some extremely different ratings for some options as well. My 10 year old rated Licorice as a 5, but my 11 year old thought it was a 2. Both love cats, which should have given it a boost, but my oldest said she isn’t drawn to covers that only have an animal and nothing else. She also didn’t like the coloring on the cat and thought it had too much pink (not sure if it was a digital thing because it might look different on the shelf). My 6 year old thought Licorice looked spooky because of the eyes and the cats’ body language (scared), which I found interesting because she noticed the emotion more than her older sisters.
That’s so interesting especially since your girls LOVE cats! The simplicity of that cover tripped up so many kids. Who knew kids hate a “simple” cover? lol
I think my 11 year old prefers animal characters as pets rather than as main characters. My 10 year old is more open to reading animal only stories and is more likely to give books a chance in general. I was still surprised that Licorice wasn’t rated at least a 3-5 from everyone because they are bonkers for cats and it did look interesting from the cover (from my adult point of view—also I loved the type/lettering of the title)
I forgot to mention, but the favorite from your group of testers (Nothing to See Here) was not well received with my daughters because there were too many sad/angry/heartbroken emojis, so they thought it would be too sad/negative for their taste.
Fair! A few of our testers definitely weren’t fans either. I don’t think it’s the kind of book your girls would like either, so I think the cover does a great job of reeling in its actual audience.
It would surprise you that fewer parents are actually doing the shopping for this age group 😅 Often kids are doing the choosing even if parents are buying. Starts around ages 8-9. I have a post coming up that touches on that! Fascinating!
This was sooo interesting!! I love all the thoughtful insight from these readers!
It’s truly so interesting! I was eagerly anticipating every response and I learned something new each time a different kid filled the form.
This is so interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Right?! Thank you for reading. I thought it was so fascinating all the ways they judged the covers!
I knew cover design was serious but I didn't realize it was THAT serious! Makes total sense, like these kids are putting into words what an adult brain would just process in a split second (about our own genres)
Yes and for them I find it’s so impactful because as an adult, I would easily forgive a meh cover. But for kids the stakes feel a bit higher.
Interesting that you mentioned Gordon Korman's covers. I actually prefer his "faceless" ones. When he uses an animal in place of a kid (like on the cover for "Sleepless"), my students absolutely will not pick it up, convinced it's a story with talking animals! My middle schoolers, for the most part, will not be caught dead carrying a book that looks like it's about talking animals.
Hahaha good to know!! I didn’t like the Sleepless cover either but because I know his style by now, I just know the animal will have a random connection to the story. I think THE FORT and RESTART have excellent, timeless covers.
I agree -- Restart is a favorite in my middle school reading classes! The Fort is a favorite of my 7th and 8th graders.
I find this fascinating...and an indicator of just how complex cover creation is.
So much to consider!
This was super interesting data, and I’m already thinking of how to leverage it in my library once school starts again!
Would definitely be a fun layer to add to a book tasting.
This was fascinating! So interesting to hear the kids’ feedback.
Agree! Illuminating for me and now I’m looking at books through their lens lol
I think it would be very interesting to do a blind synopsis ranking (not showing the cover or revealing which cover it went with, though some might be obvious) after the covers are ranked.
It also might be interesting to show the synopsis and cover together and ask the kids if they think the cover’s execution matches the theme and tone.
It also might be interesting to know if award stickers help a book’s ranking, do nothing, or lower the book’s ranking for the kids. I know I love watching the award show at the beginning of the year and will grab books that won to see what I think. My kids don’t care about awards, but do other kids and does it change with age?
Great suggestions! The synopsis angle maybe good for a different series since I’m really honing in on the cover alone right now. But award stickers are definitely worth looking into!! Thanks, Katie!
This was so fascinating! Thanks for writing up. Such fun conversations with those kids too :)
It’s always such a treat to chat with them!
This was an excellent read and so insightful!! Thank you for sharing the student feedback with us. The descriptions from the young readers were phenomenal, and now I want to read some of these titles!
That was quite an analysis!-- especially for me, since I'm an illustrator.
Funny, too, because it got me thinking: I just published a children's book for YOUNG readers, which means one's cover has to appeal to ADULTS-- namely, the parents and grandparents who will be BUYING the book for the young reader.
What a difference a few years make!! 😅
Many people think that way but the kids won’t read the books if they hate the cover 🤷🏽♀️Many parents tell me the kids just won’t pick them up if the covers don’t appeal. So I think covers should appeal to kids, not parents.
No argument, really. A child's picture book has to appeal to BOTH kids and parents. An adult will be buying the book, and you want the child to look at the cover and be anxious to open the book and plunge in. 👍
I had a new idea for the cover testing series. A this or that for UK vs USA covers, as well as other countries (unfortunately it probably skews to more popular authors/books who get multiple editions though).
It’s so interesting to see what kids think about the covers. I asked all my kids separately (all girls, 6, 7, 10, and 11) and Paradise was the highest rated over here. They really liked that there were two girls in the kid group. They also thought the eyes were intriguing/spooky and that they made the book more appealing, which was surprising because they didn’t always like the intensity in other covers.
We had some extremely different ratings for some options as well. My 10 year old rated Licorice as a 5, but my 11 year old thought it was a 2. Both love cats, which should have given it a boost, but my oldest said she isn’t drawn to covers that only have an animal and nothing else. She also didn’t like the coloring on the cat and thought it had too much pink (not sure if it was a digital thing because it might look different on the shelf). My 6 year old thought Licorice looked spooky because of the eyes and the cats’ body language (scared), which I found interesting because she noticed the emotion more than her older sisters.
That’s so interesting especially since your girls LOVE cats! The simplicity of that cover tripped up so many kids. Who knew kids hate a “simple” cover? lol
I think my 11 year old prefers animal characters as pets rather than as main characters. My 10 year old is more open to reading animal only stories and is more likely to give books a chance in general. I was still surprised that Licorice wasn’t rated at least a 3-5 from everyone because they are bonkers for cats and it did look interesting from the cover (from my adult point of view—also I loved the type/lettering of the title)
I forgot to mention, but the favorite from your group of testers (Nothing to See Here) was not well received with my daughters because there were too many sad/angry/heartbroken emojis, so they thought it would be too sad/negative for their taste.
Fair! A few of our testers definitely weren’t fans either. I don’t think it’s the kind of book your girls would like either, so I think the cover does a great job of reeling in its actual audience.
This was so fascinating!
I’m curious about the juxtaposition between what kids love about a cover, and what parents gravitate toward (the ones shopping for or approving).
I’m also interested in what is trending within the genres. For example, what’s resonating right now in fantasy, or coming-of-age, mysteries, etc.
It would surprise you that fewer parents are actually doing the shopping for this age group 😅 Often kids are doing the choosing even if parents are buying. Starts around ages 8-9. I have a post coming up that touches on that! Fascinating!
So fascinating to hear the kids’ reasons and what their eyes focused on!
Yes! They sure love when there are different elements to catch their eyes.