How to Judge a Children’s Book by Its Cover

Reading to my children should be a special time to engage and connect with each other. To facilitate this I try to choose books that are interesting to at least one of us, stories that perhaps challenge you to think, or stories that are familiar and safe. But not all picture books are created equal (I’m looking at you novelisation of the Giggle and Hoot bedtime song).

When it comes to picture books the best way to decide what to read is by looking at the front cover. But what happens when you come across a book that is new. How do you judge a book by it’s cover?

The front cover gives lots of important information to help make this decision: the title (an indication of theme/topic), the author, the illustrator, and usually a sample of the style of the pictures. All of this information is useful when selecting books that can be enjoyed again and again.

Your first and most obvious clue as to whether or not you want to read a book is the title. I have found that for the most part, the title of a child’s picture book will highlight the most important topic, character or premise of the book. For example: ‘The Cat In The Hat‘ is all about a hat-wearing cat; ‘There’s a Nightmare in My Closet‘ is the story of a boy who confronts a Nightmare in his closet; and ‘Spot Visits His Grandparents‘ is about…well you get it. Some titles are less straightforward for kids but for the discerning parent they can still give a good indication.

Children’s books usually have the name of the creator(s) clearly published on the front cover. Sometimes you have an author and illustrator sometimes there is just one name, meaning that one person was clever enough to do both the text and the graphics. Too often people ignore the author and/or the illustrator, but in my experience paying attention to this critical information will make it easier for you to spot books that you will like in the future. There are some all-star children’s authors that every child should experience: Lynley Dodd, Mem Fox, Julia Donaldson, Aaron Blabey and Leo Timmers to name a few.  And if you play very close attention you can find some cracking illustrators: Freya Blackwood, David Roberts and Axel Scheffler are some of our favourites. When you or your child find an author/illustrator that you love,trips to the library can become a treasure hunt to find books by that person.

For me the style of the pictures in a book really influences my excitement level when reading. If I find the graphics and layout enjoyable to read, pleasant to look at and engaging for my child the reading experience is greatly enhanced. As with any art, what I like and what others like might be completely different, but when you find a style you like, and you can recognise that, you can look for others that are similar.

Your child might prefer images that are more true to nature, or they might really like pictures that are wild and wacky, or they might like the softness of watercolours. Chances are that your child can enjoy many different styles depending on their attitude (just like food). So while it is great to find illustrators with a style you like, make sure you are willing to take risks and try something new too.

I would love to say – just read to your child, it doesn’t matter what, just read! However not all books are worth the time they take to read (sad, but true). There are, literally, thousands of children’s books to choose from and you cannot read all the books in the library, so learning to make educated guesses about what to bring home will have a big impact on your child’s attitude to reading and their education. After all, while reading to your child is precious time that can be fun, funny, silly or scary, it is the beginning of their education, from their first teacher – you!