The Gift - Hardcover

Carol Ann Duffy is an acclaimed poet and playwright, who has also written many picture books. Her book of children's poetry, Meeting Midnight (9780571201204) was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year, 2000 and her collection of poetry, Rapture (9780330433914), was the winner of the 2006 T. S. Eliot Prize. She has also written The Tear Thief (9781846860447) published by Barefoot Books in 2007 and shortlisted for the 2007 Red House Children's Book Awards. Carol Ann lives in Manchester with her daughter, Ella. Rob Ryan studied at Trent Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art. His characteristic work combines elements of illustration, poetry and intricate paper cutouts. In addition to his own projects, Rob has collaborated with and been commissioned to work alongside many prestigious names such as Paul Smith, Tatty Devine, Liberty and more recently Fortnum & Mason. His shop 'Ryantown' on East London's Columbia Road has allowed further development into a range of handmade products, including screen-printed tiles, laser cut wooden keys and a seven-foot ruler for measuring fast-growing children.

Grade 2–6—Few picture books follow a protagonist from death to burial as in this poetic tale. A girl picnicking with her family long ago outside a small village wishes to be buried in her favorite clearing. An old woman appears who says the girl shall have her unspoken wish if she will only give her the flower chain she is weaving. The girl does so, returns to her family, and grows into an artist, wife, mother, and grandmother. When she is old, she expresses her wish to be buried in the clearing, which she has visited and tended throughout her life, and her wish comes true. Most remarkable are the illustrations, hand cut from single sheets of paper and spray painted, one color per spread, and then photographed. Intricate floral details in a folk-art style capture the girl's artistic spirit and the sunlight and flowers that grace the clearing. Despite the burial wish, this really is a story about a life well lived, but it may require some hand-selling to find an appreciative audience.—Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MD
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