Do You Know Carol Ann Duffy?

Barefoot author, Carol Ann Duffy, was appointed Poet Laureate in the UK this month. Not only is this an amazing honor for any poet - it is especially relevant because Carol Ann Duffy is the first female to ever achieve the post! She has been a poet for her entire life and also the author of The Tear Thief, and Barefoot Book's upcoming release The Gift. Congratulations Carol Ann Duffy!
You'll discover some great tidbits in this article I found.

First female Poet Laureate named
Carol Ann Duffy has been named as the new Poet Laureate, the first woman to be appointed in the 341-year history of the post.
Duffy, 53, who takes over immediately from Andrew Motion and will serve 10 years in the position, says she will give the £5,750 annual payment away.
The author, who is best known for her collection The World's Wife, is also the first Scot to be named Laureate.
Duffy said she felt "very honoured and humbled" by her appointment.
'Truly brilliant'
The poet told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour she had thought "long and hard" about taking the appointment.
"I look on it as a recognition of the great woman poets we have writing now," she said.
"I've decided to accept it for that reason."
She added: "Poetry is all around us, all of the time, whether in song or in speech or on the page, and we turn to it when events, personal or public, matter most.
"In accepting this Laureateship, I hope to contribute to people's understanding of what poetry can do and where it can be found."
Read more of the article at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8027767.stm

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "She is a truly brilliant modern poet who has stretched our imaginations by putting the whole range of human experiences into lines that capture the emotions perfectly."
Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said Duffy "has achieved something that only the true greats of literature manage".
"That is to be regarded as both popular and profound," he said.

The Tear Thief - Hardcover
Nominated for the 2008 Red House Children's Book Award!
Each night, in the hours between supper and bedtime, the Tear Thief carries her waterproof, silvery sack as she steals the tears of every child who cries. But what does she do with all those tears? This warm, poignant, and beautifully illustrated story offers a thought-provoking message and a starting point to share children's emotional experiences.

"Only if you happened to look into a puddle as she was passing could you see what the Tear Thief looked like because a puddle was the one thing that showed her reflection."

Book Review
"When the Tear Thief comes upon a little girl crying because she has lost her dog, she befriends the girl and dries her tears. As the story progresses, young listeners may begin to wonder why the Tear Thief collects tears and what she does with them, and in a soothing resolution, they find out"—Booklist
"Duffy’s beautiful story brings the world of magic to life. My children smiled and seemed to gaze into the tear thief’s world after I finished and closed the book… Nicoletta Ceccoli’s soft, dreamy illustrations compliment Duffy’s story giving it an enchanting appeal."- Picket News

Product Details
Written by: Carol Ann Duffy
Illustrated by: Nicoletta Ceccoli
Read Alone: Ages 6-10
Read Together: Ages 4-8
Hardcover; Jacketed; full-color illustrations; 32pp;
8.5 x 10.75 inches
Item No. 9781846860454
$16.99

Illustrator Nicoletta Ceccoli
Nicoletta Ceccoli was born and still lives in San Marino, Italy, with her family and two pet hens. Since studying at the State Institute of Art in Urbino, she has illustrated a number of children's titles for prominent Italian publishers. Selected three times for exhibition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, Nicoletta was awarded the prestigious Andersen Prize in 2000, honoring her as the best children's book illustrator in Italy.
The Tear Thief- Nominated for the 2008 Red House Children's Book Award!
You can order the book at

http://www.mybarefootbooks.com/LadyD