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Poet, playwright and freelance writer Carol Ann Duffy was born on 23 December 1955 in Glasgow and read philosophy at Liverpool University. She is a former editor of the poetry magazine Ambit and is a regular reviewer and broadcaster. She moved from London to Manchester in 1996 and began to lecture in poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her papers were acquired by the Robert W. Woodruff Library of Emory University in 1999, and in October 2000 she was awarded a grant of £75,000 over a five-year period by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.
Carol Ann Duffy is also an acclaimed playwright, and has had plays performed at the Liverpool Playhouse and the Almeida Theatre in London. Her plays include Take My Husband (1982), Cavern of Dreams (1984), Little Women, Big Boys (1986) and Loss (1986), a radio play. She received an Eric Gregory Award in 1984 and a Cholmondeley Award in 1992 from the Society of Authors, the Dylan Thomas Award from the Poetry Society in 1989 and a Lannan Literary Award from the Lannan Foundation (USA) in 1995. She was awarded an OBE in 1995, a CBE in 2001 and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1999. She was appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdon in 2009. She has written for both children and adults, and her poetry has received many awards, including the Signal Prize for Children's Verse, the Whitbread, Forward and T. S. Eliot Prizes, and the Lannan and E. M. Forster Prize in America. Her collections include Ritual Lightning, Love Poems and The Bees, which won the Costa Poetry Award. She was made a DBE in the 2015 New Year Honours list. Carol Ann Duffy lives in Manchester, where she is Professor and Creative Director of the Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University.
A stunning collection of poems for children by the Poet Laureate. Carol Ann Duffy’s collection opens with ‘The Words of Poems’, which is a perfect introduction to the feast of delights found within this anthology. Duffy’s poems encompass everything from ‘The Good Child’s Guide to Rock’n’ Roll’, which is at least as much fun for adults as children, and the more obviously child directed, ‘The Sock’. This really is an anthology to treasure. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Queen Munch has cheeks as red as tomato ketchup, eyes the colour of chutney and a laugh as loud and deep as the moo of a cow on its way to be milked; Queen Nibble on the contrary, is as tall and slender and pale as a stick of celery. They’re about as different as you can be but become special friends in this joyful story after an afternoon of food-related games, and fun making jewellery out of rain. Children will love the playful nature of the story, and its larger/smaller-than-life central characters. Carol Ann Duffy’s text is full of wonderfully precise and evocative phrases and images, and Lydia Monks’s illustrations sparkle as brightly as the jewels that are like boiled sweets in Queen Munch’s crown! ~ Andrea Reece
Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, brings her gifts as a poet to this enchanting collection of all kinds of fairy stories. Familiar favourites such as The Emperor’s New Clothes and Rumpelstiltskin are vigorously and freshly told while also conveying a strong sense of the past. Carol Ann Dufy’s own stories have all the traditional qualities of fairy stories which makes them magical too. The edition is finely illustrated by Tomislav Tomic.
A beautiful poetry collection encompassing both classic and modern verse chosen by the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy.
Shortlisted for the 2012 Kate Greenaway Medal. The Judges said: The beautiful illustrations are not just decorative, they interpret the text for us and strengthen the story's impact. The frames and shadows perfectly reflect the fairy tale feel and the different emblems and details emphasise the message. A perfect depiction of the circle of life. --------- The exceptional talents of Carol Ann Duffy and papercut artist Rob Ryan combine to present the story of a girl's journey through life and the desires that shape it. With a kind of magic that is timeless, The Gift speaks to everyone who wonders about the mysteries that lie at the heart of the human experience. A unique gift book for all ages by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy This lyrical text about life, love and art is accompanied by stunning papercut illustrations. The Gift portrays the cycle of life in a subtle, accessible way while exploring themes of birth, death, love and the importance of family and friends.
Age 7+. A stunning collection of poems for children by the Poet Laureate. Carol Ann Duffy’s collection opens with ‘The Words of Poems’, which is a perfect introduction to the feast of delights found within this anthology. Duffy’s poems encompass everything from ‘The Good Child’s Guide to Rock’n’ Roll’, which is at least as much fun for adults as children, and the more obviously child directed, ‘The Sock’. This really is an anthology to treasure. ~ Julia Eccleshare
A Picture Book for kids that love Animals. Carol Ann Duffy's lyrical, humorous verse illuminates an entrancing world that is both familiar and strange. This is a very special book.
A stunning collection of poems for children by the Poet Laureate. Carol Ann Duffy’s collection opens with ‘The Words of Poems’, which is a perfect introduction to the feast of delights found within this anthology. Duffy’s poems encompass everything from ‘The Good Child’s Guide to Rock’n’ Roll’, which is at least as much fun for adults as children, and the more obviously child directed, ‘The Sock’. This really is an anthology to treasure.
This is a warm, poignant and beautifully illustrated story set in a magical world where the tears of children arising from every emotion are of a different colour. An underlying thought-provoking message about emotions lies at its heart. The multi-coloured tears are collected by the tear thief for something truly wondrous. Read it to find out.
Shortlisted for the prestigious 2008 Greenway. A wonderfully lyrical story about the search for the happy endings that are needed to make the perfect story. Beautiful illustrations bring the story to life.
Age 9+. From one of the country’s most eminent and award winning poets comes this utterly delightful collection. Charming and witty these poems will take you off to magical worlds seeing extraordinary people, animals and beasts and all of them linked to the story of a hat blown through history from one head to another. Clever and a real treat.
This is a warm, poignant and beautifully illustrated story set in a magical world where the tears of children arising from every emotion are of a different colour.An underlying thought -provoking message about emotions lies at its heart. The multi-coloured tears are collected by the tear thief for something truly wondrous. Read it to find out.
Shortlisted for the prestigious 2008 Greenway. A wonderfully lyrical story about the search for the happy endings that are needed to make the perfect story. Beautiful illustrations bring the story to life.
Carol Ann Duffy’s version of this classic Christmas poem sets aside the sentimentality of Clement Moore’s original, The Night Before Christmas, offering something equally timeless and memorable but crackling with robust wit. There are lots of contemporary references: a satellite dish can observe our every move and know of famine and greed – but not see Father Christmas while cashpoints glow softly ‘like icons of light’. But, in the end, the magic of Christmas is the same. It’s not the presents or the tree; it’s the magic of truly believing.
101 Poems for Children: A Laureate's Choice is a stunning collection of classic and modern verse chosen by the 2009-2019 Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. Full of gorgeous black and white artwork from the multi-award-winning illustrator Emily Gravett, this book is a delight for children of all ages and is a pleasure to read aloud for everyone in the family to enjoy. This fantastic collection is the perfect introduction to poetry for children, featuring a range of poems both new and familiar and packed with delights to return to again and again. Classic poems such as 'The Owl and the Pussycat' by Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll's 'Jabberwocky' feature alongside contemporary verse, such as Edwin Morgan's 'The Loch Ness Monster's Song' and 'Balloons' by Sylvia Plath. With a gorgeous cloth-bound cover, this beautiful hardback edition is published to celebrate the end of Duffy's Laureateship and is the perfect gift for any young poetry lover, or any child yet to discover its delights.
Bold, bouncy Queen Munch loves nothing more than eating delicious cakes and enormous breakfasts, whereas Queen Nibble is pale, quiet, and likes making necklaces out of raindrops. So when Queen Munch decides to invite Queen Nibble for a visit and win her friendship, the mission seems doomed to fail. But there is more to each Queen than meets the eye and soon a friendship begins to blossom. Author of The Lost Happy Endings, The Princess Blankets and The Tear Thief Carol Ann Duffy brings these loveable characters to life with her uniquely evocative voice - paired brilliantly with the bold and colourful artwork of the illustrator of Julia Donaldson's What the Ladybird Heard, Lydia Monks. With full colour artwork and a longer story than most picture books, Queen Munch and Queen Nibble is the perfect gift for new readers, and a journey into a captivating and fantastical world that will delight young readers over and over again.
A stunning collection of poems for children by the Poet Laureate. Carol Ann Duffy’s collection opens with ‘The Words of Poems’, which is a perfect introduction to the feast of delights found within this anthology. Duffy’s poems encompass everything from ‘The Good Child’s Guide to Rock’n’ Roll’, which is at least as much fun for adults as children, and the more obviously child directed, ‘The Sock’. This really is an anthology to treasure. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Queen Munch has cheeks as red as tomato ketchup, eyes the colour of chutney and a laugh as loud and deep as the moo of a cow on its way to be milked; Queen Nibble on the contrary, is as tall and slender and pale as a stick of celery. They’re about as different as you can be but become special friends in this joyful story after an afternoon of food-related games, and fun making jewellery out of rain. Children will love the playful nature of the story, and its larger/smaller-than-life central characters. Carol Ann Duffy’s text is full of wonderfully precise and evocative phrases and images, and Lydia Monks’s illustrations sparkle as brightly as the jewels that are like boiled sweets in Queen Munch’s crown! ~ Andrea Reece
What can a little girl do in the jungle? Play snap with a crocodile? Join-the-dots on a leopard's spots? Pin-the-tail on an elephant? Or just pick up a snake and skip all the way home! With its irresistible rhyme and jungly illustrations, this is a joyful, anarchic picture book from Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and illustrator-extraordinaire Lydia Monks, illustrator of the bestselling What the Ladybird Heard. With a fresh new cover look, The Skipping-Rope Snake is livelier than ever.
Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, brings her gifts as a poet to this enchanting collection of all kinds of fairy stories. Familiar favourites such as The Emperor’s New Clothes and Rumpelstiltskin are vigorously and freshly told while also conveying a strong sense of the past. Carol Ann Dufy’s own stories have all the traditional qualities of fairy stories which makes them magical too. The edition is finely illustrated by Tomislav Tomic.
A princess cannot get warm, no matter what is done for her. A stranger with cold eyes brings her the earth's blanket, the forest's blanket, the ocean's blanket and more, but nothing can warm the cold princess. Then, one day, a musician wanders into the land, and her heart melts with warmth and love.
Written by the poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, this quirky poem will get children thinking about what it is they really want, from pop star friends and pet camels to homes in treetops or even teapots!. Beautifully written and extremely entertaining, the poem will undoubtedly get children's imaginations running wild. *Collins Big Cat Phonics Progress books are specifically designed for struggling readers, giving them age-appropriate texts that they can read, building their confidence and fostering positive attitudes towards reading. This title has a text level of Band 3 / Yellow, which provides varied sentence structure and natural language, and an interest level of Band 10 / White. *Text type: A poem *On pages 14 to 15, children will be able to recap the exotic and diverse choice of pals, pets and homes! *Curriculum links: Citizenship
A beautiful poetry collection encompassing both classic and modern verse chosen by the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy.
Shortlisted for the 2012 Kate Greenaway Medal. The Judges said: The beautiful illustrations are not just decorative, they interpret the text for us and strengthen the story's impact. The frames and shadows perfectly reflect the fairy tale feel and the different emblems and details emphasise the message. A perfect depiction of the circle of life. --------- The exceptional talents of Carol Ann Duffy and papercut artist Rob Ryan combine to present the story of a girl's journey through life and the desires that shape it. With a kind of magic that is timeless, The Gift speaks to everyone who wonders about the mysteries that lie at the heart of the human experience. A unique gift book for all ages by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy This lyrical text about life, love and art is accompanied by stunning papercut illustrations. The Gift portrays the cycle of life in a subtle, accessible way while exploring themes of birth, death, love and the importance of family and friends.
This is a warm, poignant and beautifully illustrated story set in a magical world where the tears of children arising from every emotion are of a different colour. An underlying thought-provoking message about emotions lies at its heart. The multi-coloured tears are collected by the tear thief for something truly wondrous. Read it to find out.
This fairy tale plumbs the heart of human fears, frailty and love. It contains a young princess who can never feel warm, a worried king and queen, and a stranger in black with hard, grey eyes. The story is accompanied by paintings by acclaimed artist Catherine Hyde.
Shortlisted for the prestigious 2008 Greenway. A wonderfully lyrical story about the search for the happy endings that are needed to make the perfect story. Beautiful illustrations bring the story to life.
Age 9+. From one of the country’s most eminent and award winning poets comes this utterly delightful collection. Charming and witty these poems will take you off to magical worlds seeing extraordinary people, animals and beasts and all of them linked to the story of a hat blown through history from one head to another. Clever and a real treat.
In this delightful new collection of poetry for children, Carol Ann Duffy takes us on a mud-and-all ramble through sand, socks, songs and schoolrooms. Charming and witty, infectiously enjoyable, these poems take pleasure in the discovery of imaginative worlds, from the loneliness of ghosts and ghouls to a shopping trip by Manchunian cows. At the heart of the book is a poem which follows the mischievous and educational journey of a hat blown through history, from one literary head to another, quoting its owner's most famous lines as it goes.
This volume contains Carol Ann Duffy's adaptation plus the dramatization by Tim Supple and the Young Vic Company. The plays were produced by the Young Vic, London, in 1994 and 1997. 'Great theatre is as fleeting as it is thrilling. It exists in the spaces between actors and audience and is as elusive and silvery as the paths that wind through dark woods of fairy tales. The great thing about Carol Ann Duffy's re-telling of these Grimm tales is the generous energy with which it enfolds each in its own style. Duffy and director Tim Supple go the whole journey with the brothers Grimm into the bright, warped world of a child's imagination.' Guardian 'While a copy of this book would earn its place in the secondary school library, a set, for English or Drama departments, would provide a wealth of stimulating opportunities. Highly recommended.' School Librarian
In the tradition of the great and enduring writers for children, Carol Ann Duffy creates a living and breathing world, imaginatively self-sufficient, yet recognisable as one that hovers at the edges of our dreams and nightmares. In her second collection for children, we are trained by the oldest girl in the world to be alert to every one of our senses; meet, among others, a bad princess and a king of snide; discover spells to get rid of unwanted pests; and learn that, in a world where transformation is a way of life, what we want is not always what we get.
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