final book cover

cover designs

i developed 3 of the designs, mole lost in the wild wood, toad in his car, and the characters in the secret tunnel. 

sketches of covers

research - illustrators

Laura Wood

i liked the style of laura wood's illustrations, she shows classic fairy tales in a contemporary style which is what i want to do for the wind on the willows cover.

 Richard Johnson

has done illustrations for wind in the willows, i like how his work is modern yet still looks traditional.

Euyoung Seo

i looked at euyoung seo because i like the way she gives animal characters personality and human qualities. which is what i will be doing for my wind in the willows characters.

Puffin Children's Prize - Previous Winners

After looking at the previous winners i saw that alot of the designs shortlisted were simple and striking with a very contemporary style. The one that stands out to me is the second place Grimms Fairy Tales cover, i love how the image spreads over the front and back and the limited colours of red and black make it stand out.

Book Covers - Wind in the Willows

I also looked at various different book cover designs for The Wind in the Willows, ranging from the traditional style to contemporary, published and unpublished covers.

Ernest H Shepard

Micheal Hague

Tasha Tudor

Charles Van Sandwyke

Robert Ingpen

Joanne Moss

Rosie Ling

Mauro Evangelista

Usborne Illustrated

Rachell Sumpter

I also looked at some posters and other illustrations done for Wind in the Willows.

a poster for the Polka Theatre performance of wind in the willows

illustration by Sophie Blackall

I found that a lot of covers and illustrations were very scenic and mostly of the characters boating on the river or having a picnic, so for my cover I am going to do something different that maybe hasn't been done before. While i was reading the book i made notes of each scene that stood out to me, Toad zooming in his motor car, the wild wood and the secret tunnel stood out to me as interesting scenes that would catch the attention of children looking at the cover.

Wind in the Willows Research

I looked into the illustrators that had their work published in editions of The Wind in the Willows.

The first illustrator was Ernest H Shepard in 1931.

In 1940, Arthur Rackham illustrated.

In 1966, Tasha Tudor

Michael Hague in 1980

Patrick Benson in 1994

and in 2006 Charles Van Sandwyke illustrated the edition for the Folio society.