On Wednesday, Penguin Books released a new cover for Roald Dahl's classic children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Much of the reaction has been strongly negative, with many branding the cover inappropriate.
There's no need to sexualise Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with that cover. Dahl was dark, but not that dark.
You know how it always looks like a book cover's designer's never read the book? @PenguinUKBooks #CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory @roald_dalh
Several prominent writers have spoken out against the cover, including Chocolat author Joanne Harris.
Seriously, Penguin Books. Why not just get Rolf Harris to design the next one?
I'm not sure why adults need a different cover anyway, but who was it who decided that "adult" meant "inappropriately sexualized"?
And The Crane Wife author Patrick Ness.
Just so we're clear, that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory cover is one of the biggest publishing mistakes ever. Hitler's Diaries bad.
Many people found it creepy.
Remember that really famous part in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with the terrifying dolls? Nope. Me neither.
@welovethisbook Jon Benet and the Chocolate Factory. Creepy. Not in a good way.
Some thought the cover was a spoof.
I thought the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (penguin modern classics) cover was legit a spoof when I saw it on facebook. Oh dear.
@lesleyj28 hugely. When @StuartEvers tweeted it earlier I thought it was a spoof
And others compared it to Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita.
Penguin's new cover for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" looks more like Nabokov's "Lolita". Ehm... connection between cover & content?
If you haven't seen the new cover for Charlie & The Chocolate Factory check out @classicpenguins - seriously creepy. More like Lolita. Urgh.
Publishing protip: If readers confuse a book cover for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with "Lolita", not a very good CHILDREN'S design.
Not all reactions were negative, with some praising the cover as having captured Dahl's subversive tone.
I like the new Dahl cover, not for a children's edition but think it works for a Penguin Classic. Captures the dark, unsettling nature.
Love the new cover for #CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory by Penguin Modern Classics. Completely creepy, and taps into the darkness of the book.
@PenguinUKBooks @roald_dahl Cover perfectly represents the bratty, spoiled children Dahl parodied so brilliantly.
Much online anger for @PenguinUKBooks #charlieandthechocolatefactory cover. I love that it captures the story's darkness. Off to pre-order.
@PenguinUKBooks that is magnificent!
@welovethisbook It's perfect. The sickly, candy pallette, the spoilt child at centre, mother almost cropped out. Subversive and brilliant.
According to Creative Review, the cover uses a cropped version of this image from a 2008 issue of Numéro magazine.
Penguin said: "This design is in recognition of the book's extraordinary cultural impact and is one of the few children's books to be featured in the Penguin Modern Classics list.
"This new image for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory looks at the children at the centre of the story, and highlights the way Roald Dahl's writing manages to embrace both the light and the dark aspects of life."
Love the cover or hate it, everyone is certainly talking about it. So, job done?
@Patrick_Ness But EVERYONE is talking about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory now. They don't even have to print it to boost sales.
Slightly obsessed with the new Penguin Modern Classics 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' cover.
The Modern Classics edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory hits shelves on 4 September.
h/t The Bookseller.
An earlier version of this article stated the new cover for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was released on Thursday (August 7th), it was actually released on Wednesday (August 6th). This post has been updated with the correct day.