Author: Mordicai Gerstein
Illustrator: Mordicai Gerstein
(1) This is an incredible story detailing an event in history when Philippe Petit tight-rope walked between the two towers in New York City. Mordicai Gerstein does an excellent job drawing the reader in with the story plot. Additionally, the illustrations are very captivating. Another fascinating element to this story are the fold out pages that show true perspective of how high up the towers really were. One of my favorite illustrations (below) is the aerial photo of Philippe walking across the tight-rope. It makes the height even more evident as the size of the cars below are very small.
(2) It is very likely that my positive reaction to this story stems from the tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001 destroying the twin towers. The fact that someone managed to walk between them before they were destroyed is amazing and I am pleased that someone was able to record this event in history!
(3) This would be a fabulous story to share with students when discussing 9/11. It can bring another connection for students to these buildings that they did not previously have. Additionally, the technique Mr. Gerstein used to illustrate this book is very different from other Caldecott winning books, however it is still quite amazing.
Images courtesy of http://images.google.com
Images courtesy of http://images.google.com
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