Spoiler Alert: Don't read further if you want to search for animals on the front jacket of ANNO'S ANIMALS yourself.
Jon— I almost don't want to disappoint you, but I think you'll appreciate knowing there's a turtle on that front cover. It's quite hard to see in the photo here, easier to spot in an actual copy of the book with darker cross hatching. I only say this with certainty because in my copy of the book there's a key in the back to some of the hidden animals. It's worth noting that above the key it says "There are many animals and birds hidden in every page of Anno's Animals. Here are some clues to help you find some of them but you will be able to identify many more for yourself. Here and there, you may even discover that there are people hiding too..."
When I do school visits I have a series of slides that show some of the hidden shapes in my books (hearts, horses, birds/kites/witches) and also some I've found in nature (hearts). And kids are SO much better at spotting them than the grown ups. But also— they always find hidden shapes that I didn't intend (in my books) or spot for myself (in a photo of a gravel driveway). Which is why I love the introduction over the key in Anno's Animals so much: "You will be able to identify many more for yourself" It's wonderful that they left it open ended like that...
I loved this post, but also the linked Ellen Raskin piece. It made me get out my own copy of The Westing Game to compare, and that's how I found out that the 2003 reprinting I bought a few years back is a far inferior setting of the book. Now I must find a Raskin-approved one to replace it before I reread and get too attached! Or worse, lend it to an eleven year old who can't get all the words out from under their thumbs! In any case, I found it really cool to see her notes and what changes she made for design purposes. Thanks for linking it!
YES. I also love that she rewrote at the last minute to "avoid multiple line breaks in the middle of words, which she felt looked awkward and were hard for children to read, and to avoid having the same two capital letters at the beginning of the first two lines."
Another super fun (and interesting) round-up! Though I pictured Jon as a "Dr. De Soto" kind of cover guy, and it turns out his tastes are even MORE "minimalist atmospheric mystery" than that! (That "Anno's Animals" cover! 😍)
I do tend to love "more literal but still atmospheric mystery" covers like "Lon Po Po" (you can feel the "Bonnie Tyler, Total Eclipse of the Heart" era in full swing on that one) and "Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport," but I'm even a bigger weirdo than you two, and still figuring out my own taste, too, I think. It's so cool to (literally) see your thoughts and to try to calibrate what makes ME pick up a book.
Mostly, I'm THRILLED because I ran (okay, first I had coffee and chatted with my partner for like, 2 hours and change) but THEN I ran to get my 1962 (but third printing) of A Wrinkle in Time with the same cover and I can confirm it's an Ellen Raskin design! :) Photo evidence at https://photos.app.goo.gl/vPWPkDkrj2g7obZZA! Thank you for adding even more reasons to love this copy of the book, which I've stubbornly brought with me through (15? I don't even know) house moves, even to Australia and back. YES! THE THUMB SPACE! I never consciously noticed, but wow, that's also so wonderful! Like Beatrix Potter's "little books for little hands" writ MG.
First off, I’m going to use your own recommendations against you here and a say that John Burningham’s Alphabet (which I’ve also found to be the best alphabet for a one-year-old, with both lower and uppercase letters in a simple, classic font, which is harder to find than you might expect), published in 1964, has a color palette with plenty of grass green and hot pink.
Secondly, what a tease to see all these beautiful covers and not get to see what’s inside!
Oh man, a MWB event—and about one of my very favorite books! I guess I'm driving to Oakland 3x this month! Also, "The Hating Book" cover lives rent free in my mind.
I feel certain there’s some rocks that look like a little dog on the beautiful Anno’s Animals cover. But I’m not entirely sure and I could also be so completely wrong.
I love Ellen Raskin so much. The Westing Game is always my go to answer when asked what my favorite book is. Happy to report that I have a copy appropriate for 11-year-old thumbs!
If you haven't seen it before, her picture book 'Spectacles' is just a delight.
The woman who reviews Interlibrary loans at my library must wonder about these random book requests. One hopes that she also appreciates the captivating covers.
Beautiful selection. Good covers always feel like haikus to me — nothing extra, just descriptive enough, and somehow they make you feel the whole thing without explaining anything.
I can't see the turtle (maybe it's under the sticker?), but I see the elephant and a bird in the lighter area on the right, facing the right side with it's body, and looking over its shoulder to the left.
Spoiler Alert: Don't read further if you want to search for animals on the front jacket of ANNO'S ANIMALS yourself.
Jon— I almost don't want to disappoint you, but I think you'll appreciate knowing there's a turtle on that front cover. It's quite hard to see in the photo here, easier to spot in an actual copy of the book with darker cross hatching. I only say this with certainty because in my copy of the book there's a key in the back to some of the hidden animals. It's worth noting that above the key it says "There are many animals and birds hidden in every page of Anno's Animals. Here are some clues to help you find some of them but you will be able to identify many more for yourself. Here and there, you may even discover that there are people hiding too..."
When I do school visits I have a series of slides that show some of the hidden shapes in my books (hearts, horses, birds/kites/witches) and also some I've found in nature (hearts). And kids are SO much better at spotting them than the grown ups. But also— they always find hidden shapes that I didn't intend (in my books) or spot for myself (in a photo of a gravel driveway). Which is why I love the introduction over the key in Anno's Animals so much: "You will be able to identify many more for yourself" It's wonderful that they left it open ended like that...
I loved this post, but also the linked Ellen Raskin piece. It made me get out my own copy of The Westing Game to compare, and that's how I found out that the 2003 reprinting I bought a few years back is a far inferior setting of the book. Now I must find a Raskin-approved one to replace it before I reread and get too attached! Or worse, lend it to an eleven year old who can't get all the words out from under their thumbs! In any case, I found it really cool to see her notes and what changes she made for design purposes. Thanks for linking it!
YES. I also love that she rewrote at the last minute to "avoid multiple line breaks in the middle of words, which she felt looked awkward and were hard for children to read, and to avoid having the same two capital letters at the beginning of the first two lines."
I see an elephant in the rock lowest left. The trunk is dipped into the water runoff and I see an eyeball above it. Right?
I saw that too!
Another super fun (and interesting) round-up! Though I pictured Jon as a "Dr. De Soto" kind of cover guy, and it turns out his tastes are even MORE "minimalist atmospheric mystery" than that! (That "Anno's Animals" cover! 😍)
I do tend to love "more literal but still atmospheric mystery" covers like "Lon Po Po" (you can feel the "Bonnie Tyler, Total Eclipse of the Heart" era in full swing on that one) and "Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport," but I'm even a bigger weirdo than you two, and still figuring out my own taste, too, I think. It's so cool to (literally) see your thoughts and to try to calibrate what makes ME pick up a book.
Mostly, I'm THRILLED because I ran (okay, first I had coffee and chatted with my partner for like, 2 hours and change) but THEN I ran to get my 1962 (but third printing) of A Wrinkle in Time with the same cover and I can confirm it's an Ellen Raskin design! :) Photo evidence at https://photos.app.goo.gl/vPWPkDkrj2g7obZZA! Thank you for adding even more reasons to love this copy of the book, which I've stubbornly brought with me through (15? I don't even know) house moves, even to Australia and back. YES! THE THUMB SPACE! I never consciously noticed, but wow, that's also so wonderful! Like Beatrix Potter's "little books for little hands" writ MG.
The cover for Beast looks like a horror movie title card from the late 70s/early 80s. I can’t unsee it.
First off, I’m going to use your own recommendations against you here and a say that John Burningham’s Alphabet (which I’ve also found to be the best alphabet for a one-year-old, with both lower and uppercase letters in a simple, classic font, which is harder to find than you might expect), published in 1964, has a color palette with plenty of grass green and hot pink.
Secondly, what a tease to see all these beautiful covers and not get to see what’s inside!
This is easily the most entertaining book roundup I’ve come across on Substack. You guys genuinely love what you do…it shows!
Oh man, a MWB event—and about one of my very favorite books! I guess I'm driving to Oakland 3x this month! Also, "The Hating Book" cover lives rent free in my mind.
I feel certain there’s some rocks that look like a little dog on the beautiful Anno’s Animals cover. But I’m not entirely sure and I could also be so completely wrong.
I saw the dog too. And then second-guessed myself.
I believe this means it must be there. Or we both have a rare but excellent condition where we see dogs in things.
P L E A S E tell me that there will be First Cat in Space dates in the Chicago area!
I love Ellen Raskin so much. The Westing Game is always my go to answer when asked what my favorite book is. Happy to report that I have a copy appropriate for 11-year-old thumbs!
If you haven't seen it before, her picture book 'Spectacles' is just a delight.
The woman who reviews Interlibrary loans at my library must wonder about these random book requests. One hopes that she also appreciates the captivating covers.
Beautiful selection. Good covers always feel like haikus to me — nothing extra, just descriptive enough, and somehow they make you feel the whole thing without explaining anything.
I can't see the turtle (maybe it's under the sticker?), but I see the elephant and a bird in the lighter area on the right, facing the right side with it's body, and looking over its shoulder to the left.