Are These Covers Telling Us Something?

I suspect this is all in my mind, but take a look at these two covers of children's books in which an adult character plays a significant role.

In the Moribito cover, the child character is totally passive. He is being saved by an adult. We don't even see his face, suggesting he isn't of very much significance. And, sure enough, this is a book that is primarily about the adult on the cover, not the child.

In the Doc Wilde cover, the adult character is above the children, suggesting his superior position. He's also looking pretty powerful in a fighting pose with his shirt in shreds. However, the kids, though they're looking surprised rather than powerful, are physically active. They are also in front of the adult character, suggesting they have a role of some prominence in the story. And in this book there is much more balance between the adult and child characters.