For the Penguin Random House Student Award we had to design a book cover for our chosen category. I chose Children’s books, the given book was Goodnight Mister Tom, the story of a young boy (Will) who due to the WWII is evacuated to the countryside, where he lives with Tom, an old man who has lost his kid and wife. Willie, having been abused by his mother, fears moving away, but ends up finding his true self and happiness in the countryside with Tom.
For my book cover I focused on how Goodnight Mr. Tom depicts the mental and physical growth of Willie, and how he finds his true self, Will, after being abused by his mother. The two main visuals of this past self and new self are the belt, which symbolizes the abuse he suffered and the bike, which symbolizes Zach, his role model in his new home, little Weirwold.
The idea of combining both elements represents the contrast between his two lives, and how one eventually takes over the other, helping him become his true self, Will. However, the belt is disguised as the tyre of the bike, evoking how the abusiveness of his mum wasn’t obvious, but it was always there. Although his abusive past will always be there (represented by the belt being the tyre), the bike (Zach) is what eventually helps him keep going (literally) and be comfortable with who he has become.
The idea of combining both elements represents the contrast between his two lives, and how one eventually takes over the other, helping him become his true self, Will. However, the belt is disguised as the tyre of the bike, evoking how the abusiveness of his mum wasn’t obvious, but it was always there. Although his abusive past will always be there (represented by the belt being the tyre), the bike (Zach) is what eventually helps him keep going (literally) and be comfortable with who he has become.
