How many times have you heard someone say “Don’t judge a book by its cover”?
Probably a lot, right? 

Sometimes this is useful advice. I have read books that are absolute works of art and yet their covers have been lousy! There are other books that I have kept on my shelves for much longer than I should have simply because the cover was oh so pretty!

Recently I was at a bookstore with a friend and this friend informed me that I am a book cover snob. At first I was slightly offended (I didn’t judge books by their covers, did I?) but then I decided she was right, in a way. “If I’m going to use my money to buy a book,” I said, “I would like to enjoy not only the story but the cover also.” If the book is going to live on my bookcase I don’t want to revolt every time I see its hideous cover. Cover art is one of my big interests and I enjoy analyzing it. I am also a very visual person and I remember the covers of books really well. I don’t want to think back on the time I read one book or another and have an image of something that isn’t lovely come to mind.

I controlled myself enough to not spend all my cash on books, this time, but I took pictures of the ones I almost bought, partially because I loved the cover art. Some of them I don’t even remember what they were about — if I even looked. Let me know what you think of these titles if you have read them. Hopefully you will say that they are well worth my money and you will suggest I go back and buy all of them!

Cinders and Sparrows by Stefan Bachmann

This looks like a book that would be lots of fun to read in October! I love the ravens, the purple and autumn colors, and absolutely the pumpkins! Anything with pumpkins has a higher likelihood of being great than something without pumpkins. I love how the background cover picture continues across the shape of the girl, changing colors to make the girl more obvious. At first glance you notice the girl standing in the wind but there is much more than just that going on.  

With spooky trees, tantalizing colors, and little elements that grab my attention, this book is a fun cover. Hopefully the book is as good as the color because I think I’ve just convinced myself that it is worth buying.

Here In the Real World and Pax by Sara Pennypacker

When I went to the bookstore I had vowed beforehand that I wouldn’t impulsively buy a huge stack of books this time. When I found these two books I had to call my mom and make her remind me of what I had said.

The earthy color pallets used for these book covers is absolutely perfect when paired with the woodland illustrations. I forgot to look at who the illustrator was but the art reminded me a little bit of Kenard Pak’s picture books. I love this style of illustration! Immediately I want to get to know this little fox on the cover of Pax. Even better than one lovely book cover is two — that match!

Making this even better, at least one of these books had rough cut pages; another think I absolutely love in book aesthetic.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

I have read this one, but I absolutely love this cover! I already own two copies of this book but I considered buying another copy solely for the cover art. Silhouette art is one of my favorite things to see on a book cover and I love the way this artist used silhouettes to tell a peice of the story. The white flecks that look like stardust and the white birds add to the dimension and sense of magic. Not only that, but the added white adds a weightlessness that brings the whole thing together. The background, and the castle thereon, are a nice dusky pallet of colors. The way the artist captures the characters mid story with contributes to the magical feeling, leaving you feeling like you are there with the main characters inside their wildly imagined world of Terabithia. 

If you liked this post let me know in the comments below and share with your other reading friends!