Bookcover Research

Definitions

Series \ˈsir-(ˌ)ēz\
1. a succession of volumes or issues published with related subjects or authors, similar format and price, or continuous numbering
2. a number of things or events of the same class coming one after another in spatial or temporal succession
Sequence \ˈsē-kwən(t)s, -ˌkwen(t)s\
1. a continuous or connected series: as a: an extended series of poems united by a single theme
2. a succession of related shots or scenes developing a single subject or phase of a film story

Sign- The simplest since it is a pattern that physically resembles what it `stands for'
• A picture of your face is an icon of you
• The little square with a picture of a printer on your computer screen is an icon for the print function
• The picture of a smoking cigarette with a diagonal bar across the picture is an icon that directly represents ‘Smoking? Don't do it’ (at least it does with appropriate cultural experience)
Symbol- Words as symbols, easily removable from their context and are closely associated with large sets of words  Nonword symbols, signs that are not words
• Bald eagle for USA
• Cross for Christianity
• Swastika for Nazism

Index- Defined by some sensory feature, A, (directly visible, audible, smellable, etc) that correlates with and thus implies or `points to' B, something of interest to an animal

• dark clouds in the west are an index of impending rain
• for a fish in the sea, the direction of greater light is the direction of warmer water

What makes a successful bookjacket?
A successful bookjacket is one that is clear, contrasting, and can catch a reader’s eye.

My Bookcovers will be a series of books by the children's author, Roald Dahl.

About The Author

Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter, born in Wales of Norwegian parents. After service in the Royal Air Force, he rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world's bestselling authors. His short stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his children's books for their unsentimental, often very dark humour. Some of his most popular books include The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Witches and The BFG.

Back Flap/Cover Info
James and the Giant Peach: A little magic can take you a long way
When James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree, strange things start to happen. The peach at the top of the tree begins to grow and before long it’s as big as a house. Then James discovers a secret entranceway into the fruit, and when he crawls inside, he meets a bunch of oversized friends—Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, and more. After years of feeling like an outsider in his aunts’ house, James finally found a place where he belongs. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the adventure begins!

The Twits:
Mr. and Mrs. Twit play some horrible tricks on each other. I bet you have never met two people more revolting. They never wash, they trap birds for Bird Pie and hate children. Find out what brilliant trick the Roly-Poly Bird and the Muggle-Wump monkeys think up for them.

The BFG:
The BFG uses some extraordinary words, but then he’s no ordinary giant. He’s the kindest giant you could hope to meet and he turns out to be Sophie’s best friend. The trouble is, not all giants are quite as friendly and Sophie and The BFG set out to rid the world of the Bloodbottle, the Fleshumpeater, the Bonecruncher and other nasty giants forever.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory is opening at last!
But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!

The Witches: One child a week is fifty-two a year, Squish them and squiggle them and make them disappear. That is the motto of all witches.
When the young hero of Roald Dahl’s story is orphaned in an automobile accident, he is left in care of his aged grandmother—a formidable lady who happens to be a retired witchophile, an expert on all witchy matters. Even though she tells him (and us) everything known about how to identify a witch, he accidentally wanders into the annual convocation of the witches of England. The meeting is presided over by none other than The Grand High Witch of the World, and the most dangerous of them all. He overhears the horrifying plans she has in store for every child in England, but before he can escape to reveal the witches’ plot, he is captured and turned into a mouse—and this is no ordinary tale. True to his reputation as one of the most gifted and popular writers for children in the world, Roald Dahl tells the rollicking story of how a mouse-hero, undaunted by his diminutive stature, and his intrepid grandmother take on The Grand High Witch and her coven.

Associated Word List
Imaginary, fun, exciting, scary, bright, fiction, imagination, cartoon, happy, children, magic, potions, fictitious, giants,
mean, mouse, nice, grandmother, reading, elementary, creative, unique, cute, simple, different, not true, dream, squiggle, intrepid, trouble, giant, fairy tale, kids, coloring, simplistic, simple-minded, crystals, swirls, childlike, humanlike, creativity, supernatural, youth, illustrated, pretty, exciting, interesting, entertaining


Key Words
Imagination- the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality; creative ability
Magic- the use of means (as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces
Giant- a legendary humanlike being of great stature and strength
Witch- one that is credited with usually malignant supernatural powers
Fictitious- of, relating to, or characteristic of fiction; conventionally or hypothetically assumed or accepted
Creativity- the quality of being created
Elementary- of, relating to, or dealing with the simplest elements or principles of something
Child- a young person especially between infancy and youth; a person not yet of age
Bright- radiating or reflecting light; illustrious, glorious
Cute- attractive or pretty especially in a childish, youthful, or delicate way

Tone
Entertaining, fiction, humorous, fun, easy-to-read, imaginative


To suggest that most giants are mean, but this one is nice
To suggest that kids like simple covers
To suggest that you should let your imagination run wild
To suggest that magic crystals can do anything
To suggest that you can “fit in” somewhere
To suggest that some insects are life-size
To suggest that anything can happen
To suggest that bright colors are more fun to look at

“True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.”
The Rainbow, By Christina Rossetti
Boats sail on the rivers,
And ships sail on the seas;
But clouds that sail across the sky
Are prettier than these. There are bridges on the rivers,
As pretty as you please;
But the bow that bridges heaven,
And overtops the trees,
And builds a road from earth to sky,
Is prettier far than these.
Childhood: The period of human life intermediate between the idiocy of infancy and the folly of youth -- two removes from the sin of manhood and three from the remorse of age.
Children require guidance and sympathy far more than instruction.
A three-year-old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm.
Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted.
Children are our most valuable natural resource.

Concept Statement:
Did you ever feel like an outsider as a kid, like your imaginary friend was the only one that understood you? So many kids feel this way, and


“The world is but a canvas to the imagination”, much like these books to the children of the world. Hang on as they take you on a variety of journeys to rid the world of nasty giants like the Bloodbottle and Fleshumpeater, to see what schemes the Muggle-Wump monkeys can come up with, and to really make you feel at home in a peach with some larger-than-life insects. Hang tight and enjoy the ride as you experience what its like to let your imagination run wild.
“The world is but a canvas to the imagination”, much like these books to the children of the world.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.
Imagination is the highest kite one can fly, so let your thoughts soar! Grab a seat a we take you on an adventure through an unopened door to experience something like never before. A friendly giant, an encounter with larger-than-life insects, and a front row seat at a convocation of the witches of England who want nothing more than to rid the world of children is just a bit of what’s in store for you!


Concept Statement:
Many children go through a time in their life when they have an “imaginary friend”. They feel like this friend is the only one that can understand them as a person. They talk to them, play with them and spend every moment of every day with them.


Have you ever met a kid that doesn’t love to use their imagination? Whe

When a kid lets their imagination run wild, they can really be themselves!

Audience Persona:

Isabel is a 9-year-old girl who absolutely loves to use her imagination. When she’s not at school, Isabel spends much of her time at home coloring, drawing, playing outside, and…. Isabel’s family doesn’t live in one of those cookie-cutter neighborhoods with dozens of children around. Instead, they live in the suburbs of Minnesota without neighbors within at least a mile. As a result, she doesn’t have anyone to play with, and lately that person she turns to is her imaginary friend Bob. Bob accompanies her on all of her adventures, but its beginning to worry her mother Cindy. After a while Cindy finds a way for Isabel to let her imagination run wild without having to make up an imaginary friend, she can read a

Isabel is a 9-year-old girl who absolutely loves to use her imagination. When she’s not at school, Isabel spends much of her time at home coloring, drawing, and playing outside. She loves to let her mind dream up fun and exciting fantasies with made up characters and fictional settings. One day Isabel told her third grade teacher that she was bored of the books she was reading. She was passed the stories of Amelia Bedelia, Fancy Nancy, and Madeline. She wanted more. So Mrs. Brown pulled out a secret book from one of her desk drawers and handed it to her. “This is for you Isabel. It was my favorite as a child and I want you to have it”. The cover was exciting and fun, a little mysterious as well, and looked fantastic. She had found just what she was looking for. A book about fantasy and fun, but a little more grown up. There were finally more than 50 pages and she was excited to really be reading!

As a third grader, Isabel is beginning t in her second grade classroom. She isn’t much into reading, but loves to use her imagination in every other way. During reading time, which they refer to as D.E.A.R. time (Drop Everything and Read!), Isabel has been having a hard time keeping interest in the books she reads. They are boring to her and aren’t letting her imagination run wild enough. Isabel’s teacher, Mrs. Brown, tells her of a book called The BFG about a little girl just like herself and a big, friendly giant. Isabel takes the advice of her teacher and gives the book a try. She has never read anything so imaginative and magical, and to think that could maybe happen to her! As soon as she finishes it that week she asks for another of Roald Dahl’s books!

Sources:

http://www.roalddahl.com/
http://www.amazon.com/
www.wisdomquotes.com