Our client Erica S. Perl has a cover for her newest book and stopped by to tell us about it.
Erica S. Perl on her THREE STOOGES
The cover of ALL THREE STOOGES was designed by the fabulous team at Knopf and the illustration was drawn by the amazing Jordan Sondler. I give them huge props because I set them up with a fairly daunting task: a book about Noah and Dash, two goofball boys who are comedy junkies (funny book) and best friends until Dash loses a parent unexpectedly to suicide (sad and serious book) and Noah makes a series of bad choices in a misguided attempt to win back his best friend. And did I mention that both boys are Jewish and all the events happen while they are preparing for their bar mitzvahs (meaningful coming of age book)? Okay, cover design: go!
The cover they came up with is, in my opinion, brilliant. It plays on the classic slapstick comedy bit of slipping on a banana, which is funny but also captures the elements of surprise and unexpected tragedy. We talked a lot during the cover design phase, because we didn’t want anyone to misinterpret the book’s cover as suggesting we’d put a parent’s suicide in the same category as a pratfall. Ultimately, the image felt right because the protagonist in the book is Noah, who does not lose a parent. Our discussion also led to the decision to make it a bunch of bananas instead of just one. This is more accurate to Noah’s situation in the book… one bad thing happens, then another, then another, and it gets harder and harder for him to be the stand-up guy that he should be.
I also love the color scheme and the fact that while the shoe suggests that the book is about a boy, it’s appealing (ha! banana pun!) to all kids. And the title is eye-catching, too, whether you are a fan of the Three Stooges or not (as the back cover reveals, THIS BOOK IS NOT ABOUT THE THREE STOOGES!). The title actually comes from a line in Adam Sandler’s classic Hanukkah song, referenced in the first chapter of the book, as part of the song’s laundry list of people you never realized were Jewish: “Some people think that Ebeneezer Scrooge is/He’s not, but guess who is? All Three Stooges!”
I hope the cover will lead to the book being grabbed off the shelf and read widely by kids and adults alike. And I hope it will lead to great conversations about all the hilarious and heartwrenching things that draw us together, pull us apart, and that help us go on no matter what. Because that’s what the book is about.
Read more about Erica on her speaker page.