Covering the Newbery (#12): Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
On Mondays I’m doing my darnedest to re-cover every book that has won the Newbery Medal. Let’s take a look at our latest candidate…
1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis
Original Cover:
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My Redo:
Side by Side:
Verdict: Hmm, I like the bold colors of the redo, but overall I’m not a huge fan this time out. What do you think?
Read Previous Covering the Newbery Posts:
1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven
1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years
1928: Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon
1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James
1926: Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
1925: Tales from Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger
1924: The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes
1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon
(Source Image: “iPhoneography: Mt. M” http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirkdallas/5277637393/)
Filed under: Covering the Newbery, 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.
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I love this feature that you do. I agree with you; the first cover was so old school “FOB” but the second cover went too “over the top” modern on color and graphics YET kept the old school font. The font and the graphics don’t really match and the story still seems really old school FOB though I haven’t read it yet to be sure.
I like that you didn’t use the predictable red for the updated color. Still haven’t read this book — I tried last year but I got bored and never finished it.
Sorry, not my favorite either. But you’ve had a recent good run, so maybe it was about time for a meh re-cover.
This is good stuff, Travis, and I just realized that this is the earliest Newb winner that I’ve actually read! I just wanted to comment several weeks later on your cover for Tales from Silver Lands – isn’t that the same image from the cover of that one prog-rock album in the 1970s? Crap, now I’m starting to sound like the patrons with my vague questions… who the heck is that band? Little Feat? Regardless… thanks for the fun!
Ha, I don’t know the prog-rock cover you’re thinking of, but I could definitely see that image working for a 70s album cover.
I finally thought of it – it’s King Crimson!
http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-court-of-the-crimson-king-r10905
Haha! That’s a good, nay, great call. I see the resemblance.
Actually, there’s a slight difference, but it is still eerily similar!
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