Alice in Piczoland
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Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 08/08/2007
Calling all teen artists. Grab your sketchpad or virtual paintbrush and take note: Penguin publishing and the San Francisco-based teen community site Piczo are asking young people to create the perfect cover for one of six classic books. The titles, which range from Dracula to Animal Farm, were selected by rockers, who launched the month-long challenge by designing and posting covers of their own.
Live since August 2, the “Piczo My Penguin” contest has attracted 5,000 visitors to the site, with 50 entries in less than a week, according to Piczo. The designs submitted thus far have included many computer and handpainted collages, and Alice in Wonderland appears to be a favorite subject. Participants can also draw covers for Alain Fournier’s Le Grand Meaulnes, submitted by Beck, George Orwell’s Animal Farm, offered by band Mr Hudson & The Library, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, picked by Razorlight, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, chosen by Ryan Adams, and Hesse’s Steppenwolf, submitted by Goldspot.
Many teens—and adults—may not be familiar with Piczo; that’s because the site says it’s been keeping a low profile since launching in 2004. Still, Piczo boasts a hefty user base of 28 million registered members, most of whom fall within the 13- to 16-year-old demographic, says Piczo spokesperson Joan Lockwood. “We’ve never done any PR or marketing until now,” she says. “And we’re a walled garden, so you can’t search for members. You have to be invited.”
But no invitation is needed for you to try your hand at rendering a cover illustration for Orwell’s classic tome, for example.Winners will be selected August 31 by fellow users, Penguin, and participating band members. Winning artists will receive copies of all six books, exclusive images of the band’s own design, plus CDs, says Lockwood. Who knows? Could be a reason to revisit Gatsby and that haunting green light.
