Unfortunate Covers (#20)

Of all the Unfortunate Covers, the most difficult to name are the ones I love. Today we take a look at one of my all-time favorites, sporting a cover that just isn’t getting much attention from kids. This one hurts.

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey

I understand this is sacrilege, but with the cover above, this classic has been a tough sell. There’s something about large swaths of brown that have a way of declaring “no need to pick me up, I’m cool here on the shelf”. And it’s too bad – Homer Price has a better shot at appealing to today’s kids than most books from its era.

But here’s the problem – how do you update the cover? I would never want a non-McCloskey illustration or, heaven forbid (please), a photographic redo.

I think with the right colors and type like they could pull off an update while still using the same basic image.

Although it has been tried in the past. Did you know Homer Price was in early on the pink cover trend?

A trailblazer, I’d say.

Check out previous Unfortunate Covers:

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19.

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Filed under: Covers, Unfortunate Covers