#CoverCollection

Ishta Mercurio

Apr 28, 2020
3 min

Cover Collection : Green Lantern: Legacy, written by Minh Le, illustrated by Andie Tong, designed by

Welcome to Cover Collection, my (mostly) weekly blog series in which I get REALLY EXCITED about book covers that I REALLY LOVE, and break down some of the elements of each cover's design that make it stand out. We've been on a bit of an unexpected hiatus, because...well...*waves at everything*. I have to say, living through a pandemic is way more boring than I thought it would be. But, also, living through a pandemic allows me to get way less done online than I thought it wou

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Cover Collection 30: At The Mountain's Base, written by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Weshoyot Al

Ishta Mercurio

Mar 17, 2020
2 min

Cover Collection 30: At The Mountain's Base, written by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Weshoyot Al

Welcome to Cover Collection, my mostly weekly blog post in which I talk about book covers that I love, and break down what makes them so great. Things are upside down and sideways with all the social distancing and self-isolation recommendations because of the coronavirus pandemic, so I'll be posting more than usual this week. Today, I want to highlight the cover of At The Mountain's Base, written by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre, and designed by Jasmin Rubero

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Cover Collection 29: The Prince and the Dressmaker, written and illustrated by Jen Wang, designed by

Ishta Mercurio

Mar 5, 2020
2 min

Cover Collection 29: The Prince and the Dressmaker, written and illustrated by Jen Wang, designed by

Welcome back to Cover Collection, my mostly weekly blog series in which I talk about book covers that I really really love and what I really really love about them. This is the second post this week, because I’m making up for a missed week, and I really do want to be more consistent with this series. And I also have way too many books to talk about! Including this book, The Prince and the Dressmaker, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Jen Wang, and designed by Jen Wan

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Cover Collection 28: You Matter, by Christian Robinson, designed by Sonia Chaghatzbanian

Ishta Mercurio

Mar 4, 2020
2 min

Cover Collection 28: You Matter, by Christian Robinson, designed by Sonia Chaghatzbanian

Welcome to cover collection, my (mostly) weekly blog post where I sing the praises of book covers that I love. I failed to post twice last week, because life got in the way, so I’m *aiming* to post twice this week in order to make up for it. First up, this fabulous cover of Christian Robinson’s upcoming author-illustrated title, You Matter, designed by Sonia Chaghatzbanian. You read that right--this book isn't out until May 5th! Mr. Schu was generous enough to give me this ar

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Cover Collection 27: The Stuff of Stars, written by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Ekua Holmes

Ishta Mercurio

Feb 26, 2020
2 min

Cover Collection 27: The Stuff of Stars, written by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Ekua Holmes

Welcome to Cover Collection, my mostly-weekly blog series in which I rave about book covers that I love and what makes them so good. I missed last week, because life got in the way, so this week I'm going to try to squeeze in two posts to make up for it. So let's get to it! I want to call your attention to a book I've loved for a long time: The Stuff of Stars, written by Marion Dane Bauer and gorgeously illustrated by the brilliant Ekua Holmes.* Look at this beauty: Breathtak

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Cover Collection 26: Ordinary Hazards, by Nikki Grimes, With Art and Design by Barbara Grzeslo

Ishta Mercurio

Feb 13, 2020
3 min

Cover Collection 26: Ordinary Hazards, by Nikki Grimes, With Art and Design by Barbara Grzeslo

We're a few days late, because the conference threw off my posting schedule, but we're still here with Cover Collection, my so-far-weekly blog series in which I talk about book covers I love, and what I love about them. This week, I want to highlight the cover of ORDINARY HAZARDS, a YA memoir in free verse by Nikki Grimes, with art by the cover designer, Barbara Grzeslo. Look at how striking this cover is: Two! Shiny! Medals! There are a few different things about this cover

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Cover Collection 25: Tyler Johnson Was Here, written by Jay Coles, designed by Marcie Lawrence, with

Ishta Mercurio

Feb 3, 2020
2 min

Cover Collection 25: Tyler Johnson Was Here, written by Jay Coles, designed by Marcie Lawrence, with

Welcome to Cover Collection, my so-far-weekly-in-2020 blog series highlighting book covers that I love and breaking down what I love about them. This week, I want to talk about the cover of Tyler Johnson Was Here, a YA novel written by Jay Coles, with a gorgeous cover designed by Marcie Lawrence featuring art by Charlotte Day. Check it out: Normally, I only feature books on here that I've read--I feel that having read a book gives me deeper insight into the imagery, color cho

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Cover Collection 24: Caldecott 2020 Winner and Honor Books!

Ishta Mercurio

Jan 27, 2020
2 min

Cover Collection 24: Caldecott 2020 Winner and Honor Books!

Today is the day! It's AWARDS day! And WHAT A DAY! The American Library Association announced the Youth Media Awards today to much fanfare, and let me tell you, it was so thrilling to see books that I have read and loved being recognized for their excellence. I shouted with joy as I watched. These awards are the Oscars of our industry, and celebrating them makes me so very happy. I had planned to feature the cover of the book that won the Caldecott today, but I've featured it

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Cover Collection 23: This Book Is Anti-Racist, by Tiffany Jewell, Illustrated by Aurelia Durand, Des

Ishta Mercurio

Jan 20, 2020
2 min

Cover Collection 23: This Book Is Anti-Racist, by Tiffany Jewell, Illustrated by Aurelia Durand, Des

Welcome to Cover Collection, my not-really-weekly-but-I-keep-trying blog series about the book covers I love and what makes them work. Today is Martin Luther King Day, and while there are a number of books with great covers about Martin Luther King Jr., I wanted to take today to highlight a book that, rather than being about MLK Jr. specifically, continues the work of teaching radical anti-racism that was so important to him. Take a look at the eye-catching cover of THIS BOOK

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Cover Collection 22: Special Guest Interview with Debbie Ohi, Author-Illustrator of Sam & Eva!

Ishta Mercurio

Sep 13, 2019
2 min

Cover Collection 22: Special Guest Interview with Debbie Ohi, Author-Illustrator of Sam & Eva!

Welcome to Cover Collection, my (mostly) weekly blog series in which I talk about book covers I love and why I love them. This week, we have an extra-special post! The amazing, talented, and generous Debbie Ohi agreed to let me interview her about the cover of her picture book, SAM & EVA! When I first saw this cover, which was designed by Laurent Linn, I knew that I simply had to feature it: it just jumps off the shelves! Take a look: Kapow! When I first saw this cover, what

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Cover Collection 21: The Thing About Jellyfish, written by Ali Benjamin, designed by Marcie Lawrence

Ishta Mercurio

Jul 30, 2019
2 min

Cover Collection 21: The Thing About Jellyfish, written by Ali Benjamin, designed by Marcie Lawrence

Welcome to Cover Collection, my (mostly) weekly blog series in which I talk about book covers that I absolutely love, and break down what I love about them. This week, we're going to take a look at the positively luminous cover of Ali Benjamin's middle grade novel, THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH, which was designed by Marcie Lawrence and which features art by Eric Fan and Terry Fan. Drink this in: I could fall into this cover. I chose this cover before I knew who had done the art,

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Cover Collection 20: LOST BOY, written by Shelley Hrdlitschka, with art by Marie Bergeron

Ishta Mercurio

Jul 24, 2019
2 min

Cover Collection 20: LOST BOY, written by Shelley Hrdlitschka, with art by Marie Bergeron

Welcome to Cover Collection, my (mostly) weekly blog series in which I talk about book covers I love and why I love them. This week, I'm posting a couple days late (sorry! But I birthed a book into the world a few weeks ago, and things are kinda busier than I expected them to be. I thought this would be a quieter time. I was very wrong!), so the end of the week is going to be blog-post-heavy. (YAY!) I want to talk about the cover of Shelley Hrdlitschka's YA novel, LOST BOY, w

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Cover Collection 19: Special Q & A with Mia Wenjen, Author of Sumo Joe!

Ishta Mercurio

Jul 16, 2019
3 min

Cover Collection 19: Special Q & A with Mia Wenjen, Author of Sumo Joe!

Welcome to Cover Collection, my (mostly) weekly blog series in which I talk about book covers I love and break down what makes them work. This week, we're doing something special: Mia Wenjen, co-founder of Multicultural Children's Book Day and blogger about diverse children's books, is ALSO a children's book author, and she has agreed to come by to chat briefly about the cover of her DEBUT picture book, SUMO JOE, illustrated by Nat Iwata and designed by Abby Dening. Check it

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Cover Collection 18: Lola Shapes the Sky, by Wendy Greenley, Illustrated by Paolo Domeniconi, Design

Ishta Mercurio

Jul 8, 2019
1 min

Cover Collection 18: Lola Shapes the Sky, by Wendy Greenley, Illustrated by Paolo Domeniconi, Design

Welcome to Cover Collection, my mostly weekly blog series in which I talk about book covers I love and why I love them. This week, we're looking at the cover of LOLA SHAPES THE SKY, written by Wendy Greenley, illustrated by Paolo Domeniconi and designed by Rita Marshall. Have a look at this beauteousness! Beeeeeeyutiful! I love the painterly sensibility of this cover. I often think, when I look at the sky, that the clouds look like a renaissance painting, and this cover remin

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Cover Collection 17: Keep This to Yourself, by Tom Ryan, designed by Aphee Messer

Ishta Mercurio

Jul 1, 2019
3 min

Cover Collection 17: Keep This to Yourself, by Tom Ryan, designed by Aphee Messer

Welcome to Cover Collection, my (mostly) weekly blog series in which I get excited about book covers I love and talk about why I love them. Today, I'm doing something a little different. Usually, I talk about the cover of a book I've read. That allows me to touch on elements of the cover that hint at important plot points without spoiling the book, which lets us think about how a cover designer goes about deciding what to put on a cover. But this time I'm talking about the bo

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Cover Collection 16: Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay, designed by Dana Li, with art by Jor-

Ishta Mercurio

Jun 10, 2019
2 min

Cover Collection 16: Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay, designed by Dana Li, with art by Jor-

Welcome to Cover Collection, my mostlly-weekly blog series in which I rave about book covers that I love, and talk about why they work. Today we're looking at the eye-catching cover of Randy Ribay's upcoming novel Patron Saints of Nothing, which was designed by the talented Dana Li and which features art by Jor-Ros. Take a look! This cover is ON FIRE Normally, I wait until I've finished a book to talk about its cover on here, because I want to be able to talk about how the im

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Cover Collection 15: Cowhide-and-Seek, Written by Sheri Dillard, Illustrated by Jess Pauwels, Design

Ishta Mercurio

May 13, 2019
2 min

Cover Collection 15: Cowhide-and-Seek, Written by Sheri Dillard, Illustrated by Jess Pauwels, Design

This is Cover Collection, my (mostly) weekly blog series about book covers that work, and why. Today we’re looking at the cover of COWHIDE-AND-SEEK, written by Sheri Dillard, illustrated by Jess Pauwels, and designed by Frances J. Soo Ping Chow. This cover is so cute and fun, and it’s perfect for the book. The first thing that jumps out at me when I look at this cover is the font the designer chose for the title. It’s clearly reminiscent of a rope and lasso, and it sets us ri

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Cover Collection 14: SHOUT, Written by Laurie Halse Anderson, and designed by Jessica Jenkins

Ishta Mercurio

Apr 19, 2019
2 min

Cover Collection 14: SHOUT, Written by Laurie Halse Anderson, and designed by Jessica Jenkins

Hello, and Happy Friday! It's Good Friday, which I guess means I should be talking about something Good Friday-ish, but you know what? I just don't produce that kind of content. Instead, for today's Cover Collection post, I'm going to talk about a cover that is simple, but striking: the cover of Laurie Halse Anderson's recently released memoir, SHOUT, which was designed by Jessica Jenkins. (I normally post a shout-out to the artist, too, but I can't find that information in m

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Cover Collection 13: The Undefeated, written by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, design

Ishta Mercurio

Apr 11, 2019
2 min

Cover Collection 13: The Undefeated, written by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, design

Welcome to Cover Collection, my (mostly) weekly series about book covers that I love, and why I love them. Since I missed last week because my planned blog posts got derailed by my NCTE news (YAAAAY NCTE!), I'm going to post TWO cover posts this week! And since April is National Poetry Month, I'm focusing on books written in either free verse, or straight-up rhyme. Today, we're looking at the cover of THE UNDEFEATED, written by Kwame Alexander, and designed by Cara Llewellyn

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Cover Collection 12: The Poet X, written by Elizabeth Acevedo, with Jacket Art by Gabriel Moreno, De

Ishta Mercurio

Mar 25, 2019
3 min

Cover Collection 12: The Poet X, written by Elizabeth Acevedo, with Jacket Art by Gabriel Moreno, De

SEE END OF POST FOR AN IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING THE IMAGE OF THE GIRL ON THIS COVER.* Welcome to Cover Collection, my (mostly) weekly blog series about book covers that work, in which I talk about what I love about them and why. I usually try to do these posts on Mondays, and...um...this is not a Monday. But blog posts are forever, and most of the people who read this will be reading it on a day that isn't Monday, and honestly, life is busy and I'm sorry. I'm doing my best.

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