YES, KIDS DO JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

Donna Rummel, Media Specialist
Harold C. Urey Middle School, Walkerton

       The appeal of a book’s cover does indeed influence whether or not a student will be attracted to it. Recently a fifth grader came to the media center to borrow Island of the Blue Dolphins. But when she saw our old copy with its 1960 cover illustration, her face fell, and she left the book on the shelf. What she didn’t realize at the time was that the friend who recommended the book had a new paperback version sporting a cover design that appeals to today’s middle graders. The same award-winning story can still be found inside the shiny new cover, but students are turned off by the dated illustration.

      In our elementary media center, we have new copies of favorite Dr. Seuss books. It’s no surprise that these new books consistently go out more often than the titles that were not replaced. The same holds true for the Animal Friends series by Janette Oke and the Little House on the Prairie series. The newer versions have been checked out nearly twice as often as the older ones.

      Of course, publishers are aware of students’ reactions to dated book jackets. They often re-issue a paperback that was popular years ago with a new cover.  Face on the Milk Carton is one example, and in our library this book is once again in demand.

      We don’t rebind book covers as often as we did in the past. We have found that simply rebinding a book with a plain cover will not increase its appeal. Even a once highly popular book that has been re-bound will now sit on the shelf with its plain cover.  At one point, we held a contest to inspire students to design new book jackets for the old favorites in need of a facelift. But even though students enjoyed seeing their designs, the books were seldom checked out.

      Our students are always excited to be the first to check out a shiny new book. With an intriguing cover design, even old classics such as  Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, first published in 1813, will not gather dust on a library shelf.