Kids Corner: Judging a book by its cover

Despite the age old adage not to judge a book by its cover, a good cover is everything in the world of children’s literature. Whether it’s at the library or in the bookstore, first impressions are everything when it comes to picking out that perfect book. So what would a four-year old think about the covers of some of our most well known adult literature? I put it to the test by showing E some classic selections from my bookshelf and asking her to tell me what the stories were about. Here’s what she said…

Cat’s Cradle: “It’s about a cage and a bird flies out of it.”

The Odyssey: “This is about the statue of Liberty and it’s in the middle of a lake.”

Catch-22: “It’s about a person and he wished he could drive in a plane.”

Possession: “This is about a man and a lady and they are at Disneyworld.”

Handmaid’s Tale: “This is about some fairies who could not fly. They lost their wings from a witch.”

Atlas Shrugged: “This is about a lady who was really brave and someone was trying to fight her, but she wins.”

Freedom: “This is about a birdie. She couldn’t fly because a queen birdie who was very mean took her wings.”

Kafka on the Shore: “This is about a man with really cool sunglasses. The sunglasses can even go out the window to a really far land.”

Suite Francaise: “This is about a lady and a man who were going to get married, but they couldn’t yet because they didn’t have a marriage dress.”

The French Lieutenant’s Woman: “It’s about a lady who had no eyes and what she did was she played with herself then she got some eyes.”

Tess of the D’Urbervilles: “This is about a lady who worked in a kitchen. She could cook anything she wanted to.”

This post was inspired by Robert over at the 101 Book blog who did the same thing with his 3 year-old son. If you aren’t following his blog, you should because it’s fantastic.