Unfortunate Covers (#6)
(Take a look at previous Unfortunate Covers. #1, #2, #3, #4, #5)
While I was going through the fiction shelves the other day, I came across a book cover that I’d seen years ago, but had forgotten all about. This, the sixth entry into the ongoing Unfortunate Covers series is the first title that I might be inclined to call “awesomely unfortunate”.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Before I get ahead of myself, let’s take a look:
“Dancing Carl” by Gary Paulsen. An unrelated comment: don’t you hate it when the barcode is covering the title? Rest assured, this happened well before my watch. Keep those titles barcode free, I say. Anyway, what you have here is an unfortunate cover. A solid book besotted with a cover that isn’t upping the shelf appeal. A close up:
I like how Carl is shown doing his little hand raise thing. Personally I like to think of it as Carl imploring the reader to “Get up out ‘cha seat and dance, like me!”
Click here to take a look at the most recent “Dancing Carl” cover.
On a side note, this unfortunate cover struck me as oddly similar to another famous title:
The perspective, the trees, the wintery night time setting, the use of the color yellow – similarities abound.
Click here to read a great post at Becky’s Book Reviews about this and other Narnia covers.
Filed under: Unfortunate Covers
About Travis Jonker
Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SLJ Blog Network
Early Sleepy Lines: A Cover Reveal(ish) and Q&A About Wheetle by Cindy Derby
DC Announces Fall 2025 Graphic Novels | News
Talking with the Class of ’99 about Censorship at their School
Book Review: Pick the Lock by A. S. King
ADVERTISEMENT
blbooks says
Oh how familiar that Narnia cover is. 🙂 Those are the unfortunate covers of the Narnia books when I first discovered them way back when.
Scope Notes says
I was recalling your post on those Narnia covers when I noticed the similarities, but I couldn’t find it when I searched. If you have the link to that post handy, I can add it in!
Becky says
I’ve had several posts on those covers through the years, take your pick…
http://blbooks.blogspot.com/2008/03/btt-judging-book-by-its-cover.html
http://blbooks.blogspot.com/2007/09/whats-in-cover.html