First Look at the New “Harry Potter” Cover Art
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Scholastic Books(NEW YORK) — Big news for Harry Potter fans: the beloved books are getting a makeover.
All seven books in J.K. Rowling’s wildly-popular Harry Potter series will be released with new cover artwork, Scholastic announced. The iconic Sorcerer’s Stone cover, illustrated by artist Mary GrandPre with a young Harry Potter flying on a broomstick, has been updated with a new design by graphic artist Kazu Kibuishi.
ABC’s Good Morning America unveiled Kibuishi’s cover illustration for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. On it, Harry and Hagrid are featured walking in Diagon Alley as Harry enters a magical world of witchcraft and wizardry.
“I wanted it to feel whimsical,” Kibuishi said, “Like an entrance into a fantasy world, but also like a perennial classic.”
Kibuishi, an artist and author of the bestselling Amulet series of graphic novels, is a Potter fan. “Who isn’t?” he said when GMA caught up with him by phone.
The 35-year-old American graphic artist, born in Tokyo, said he felt some pressure working on a series with such a rabid fan base, but was only nervous to hear what one person in particular — Rowling — thought of his design.
“When I heard that she enjoyed it, I was happy. Now that she’s happy, I’m going to sail my way to the end of this thing,” he joked.
The new edition will be released in September along with Kibuishi’s cover artwork for the rest of the series.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio