The Tear Thief
Sale price
$858
Picture Book · Ages 4–7 · 2007

The Tear Thief

By Carol Ann Duffy, Nicoletta Ceccoli (Illustrator)

Why does the Tear Thief collect children's tears each night?

4.5/7 Bookroo expert·4.1/5 Goodreads · 330 ratings
32 pages
$8.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Each night, the mysterious Tear Thief silently roams the town, collecting children's tears in her silvery sack. Invisible except in puddles, her magical presence leaves children with no more need to cry. What secret purpose drives her nightly quest, and what happens to the tears she gathers? Discover the enchanting mystery behind her tearful collection and the magic it weaves.

At a glance
Format
Paperback
Pages
32
Reading age
4–7
Audience
Picture
Lexile
620L
Inside the book

A peek between the covers

Late one evening, the Tear Thief crept into a town. The Tear Thief was invisible and carried a silvery, waterproof sack on her back. Only if you happened to look into a puddle as she was passing could you see what the Tear Thief looked liked because a puddle was the one thing that showed her reflection. The Tear Thief had short spiky white hair and big grey eyes. She wore a handkerchief dress and silk slippers that made no sound as she walked.
The Tear Thief jumped lightly from the top of the tree on to the roof of the first house. She crept along the rooftops, silent as smoke, listening, listening, until she heard the crying again. ‘Boo-hoo-hoo!’ Ha! The crying was coming from Number 17. Quick as a blink, the Tear Thief slid down the chimney into the attic and pressed her ear to a floorboard. ‘Boo! Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo-hoo!’ Down the stairs, sly as a steam, sneaked the Tear Thief, on to the landing and into the bathroom. A boy was sitting in the bath crying his eyes out. His mother was kneeling by the side of the bathtub holding a pink bottle of strawberry shampoo.
A light rain began to fall, orange under the street lights. The Tear Thief worked hard. She stole the oddly long tears of a boy who had trapped his finger in a flute. She stole the tiny tears of a baby having her nappy changed. Into the sack: the tears shed by a pair of twins fighting over an orange teddy bear. Into the sack: two pear-shaped tears from the sly cheeks of a boy who’d been caught telling a lie about a big hole in his trousers.
The girl stood up again. Her face was still wet with tears, like the leaves of the trees were with the rain. She gently wiped off one of her own tears with her fingertip and stared at it. She could see the reflection of the Tear Thief there as well! ‘But why are my tears so precious?’ asked the girl. ‘I will tell you everything,’ said the Tear Thief, ‘if you give me your tears. Just close your eyes and listen.'
What readers & critics say

Reviews

4.5

out of 7

4.5

“The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, I wanted to feel like the story was deep, but where I felt it could have gone somewhere extraordinary, it felt more like a lesson in what kind of tears should be shed.”

Marmee

Trusted reviewer

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The fine print

Book details

Reading levels
ATOS
~4
F&P level
~O
Publication
Published
March 15, 2018
First published
January 1, 2007
Publisher
Barefoot Books
Edition
Language
English
Type
Picture Book
Identifiers
ISBN
9781846863943

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