The Tear Thief [Hardcover]

Carol Ann Duffy (Author), Nicoletta Cecoli (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

She has short, spiky white hair and big, gray eyes; she wears a handkerchief dress and silk slippers; and
every evening she steals tears from children and collects them in a silvery sack: she s the Tear Thief. But
she s a good thief because her special magic whisks away the reason a child cries. Different kinds of
tears are different colors, and the most valuable tears are those of pure sadness. 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. The mystical acrylic
illustrations, colored mostly in nighttime shades of blue, gray, and purple, are even more haunting and
ethereal than the somewhat lengthy story. Reserve this for children who can appreciate quiet, hearttugging
fantasy with a mystical aura.

- Julie Cummins --Booklist, November 15, 2007

About the Author

Carol Ann Duffy is an acclaimed poet and playwright who has also written many picture books. Her collection of poetry Rapture was the winner of the 2006 T. S. Eliot Prize. Carol Ann is the current Poet Laureate and lives in Manchester with her daughter, Ella. She has also written The Gift for Barefoot Books. Nicoletta Ceccoli has been featured several times at the Bologna Children's Book Festival, and won the prestigious Andersen prize for the best Italian children's book illustrator in 2001 and 2006. She has also illustrated the popular Barefoot titles The Faery's Gift and The Princess and the White Bear King. Juliet Stevenson is a stage and screen actress with many credits to her name, including Truly, Madly, Deeply, Emma, and Mona Lisa Smile. She was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role in Death and the Maiden. Juliet has narrated other stories for Barefoot Books including The Real Princess and The Barefoot Book of Dance Stories. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Barefoot Books (September 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846860458
• ISBN-13: 978-1846860454
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #906,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, November 10, 2010

By 

S. Brown (Philadelphia PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tear Thief (Hardcover)

The magic of this special book is in seeing children immediately relate to and grasp the different reasons why people cry. They begin to understand that tears aren't always because of sorrow, but also because of pain, jealousy, anger, even guilt, and that each reason is 'different', with sorrow being the rarest of them all.

I not only read this book often to my son, but also to his kindergarten and first grade classrooms. All the kids wanted to hear the story again and again, sitting remarkably still and rapt in the telling. I think through stories like this they are learning empathy as well as how to identify their own emotions.

5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter said "Wow! That's a neat story!", September 26, 2011

By 

Scott W. Alexander - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Tear Thief (Hardcover)

This is a great "different" kind of story, great for girls looking for something new and "non-princessy". You can actually read it over and over without grimacing. The artwork is exceptional. I was initially a little concerned that this was going to be a scary story, (you aren't sure exactly what the tear thief does with all the tears until the end) but my 8 yr old daughter thought it was terrific. One of those bedtimes stories that makes you look at your child and smile.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun and pretty book to read, December 20, 2007

By 

Mable - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Tear Thief (Hardcover)

The illustrations and the intriguing title attracted me to this book. The story is a little strange and I worried it might scare the kids, but it didn't. So we use this story to tease the kids about the Tear Thief coming when they start to get fussy. The kids seem to really enjoy this book, and the illustrations are very pretty.