Covering the Newbery (#15): Caddie Woodlawn
1936: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Original Cover:
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
My Redo:
Side by Side:
Verdict: I think kids would pick this up. My concern is that it might give the impression that Caddie Woodlawn is a YA book. It’s also very nondescript among current covers. Your thoughts?
Read Previous Covering the Newbery Posts:
1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
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: “Memories of Hope in the Age of Disposability” http://www.flickr.com/photos/truthout/5143411575/)
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SLJ Blog Network
Winnie-the-Pooh Celebration Week: Day 5 – New Pooh-Related Titles Worth Exploring
Love Bullet, vol. 1 | Review
And the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery winners are….
From Policy Ask to Public Voice: Five Layers of Writing to Advance School Library Policy
Take Five: January 2026 YA Releases
Kelly Yang on Storykind
ADVERTISEMENT
I really like this redo. I want to do a similar project with my students.
My immediate reaction “Caddie wasn’t a teenager.” So, yes, the new cover does give it a YA feel. But I like what you are attempting to do.
This was one of my favorite books as a kid! While I’m partial to Trina Schart Hyman’s cover, I really like your redo. It feels much more fresh and I think it would work to entice kids to pick it up off the shelves.
My thought was also, too YA. And the dress looks medieval, not pioneer, but that’s me being picky about costume history.
We had a new cover made for the musical:
https://www.facebook.com/Caddie.Woodlawn.Musical
We had a new cover made for the musical:
http://www.caddiewoodlawnmusical.com
I really like your modern update, but Caddie is very young when she starts the book, so it does look a little YA, but it is really fresh.