Module 3 - Caldecott Medal 2004



Gerstein, M. (2003). The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.
Brookfield, Connecticut: Roaring Brook Press.


Summary:
This book is not a traditional biography about Philippe Petit who is the French man who walked on a tightrope between the unfinished Twin Towers.  The ink and oil illustrations present the dramatic events of Petit’s walk between the towers through the poetic text. 

My Impression:
When I first saw this book I thought it would be fiction, but was suprised to see that is was a biography of Philippe Petit involving the occurance of his wal on a tightrope between the Twin Towers as they were being constructed.  The pictures offer great reflection on the events that took place.

Review:
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
School Library Journal Reviews

K-Gr 6 - As this story opens, French funambulist Philippe Petit is dancing across a tightrope tied between two trees to the delight of the passersby in Lower Manhattan. Gerstein places him in the middle of a balancing act, framed by the two unfinished World Trade Center towers when the idea hits: "He looked not at the towers, but at the space between them and thought, what a wonderful place to stretch a rope - |." On August 7, 1974, Petit and three friends, posing as construction workers, began their evening ascent from the elevators to the remaining stairs with a 440-pound cable and equipment, prepared to carry out their clever but dangerous scheme to secure the wire. The pacing of the narrative is as masterful as the placement and quality of the oil-and-ink paintings. The interplay of a single sentence or view with a sequence of thoughts or panels builds to a riveting climax. A small, framed close-up of Petit's foot on the wire yields to two three-page foldouts of the walk. One captures his progress from above, the other from the perspective of a pedestrian. The vertiginous views paint the New York skyline in twinkling starlight and at breathtaking sunrise. Gerstein captures his subject's incredible determination, profound skill, and sheer joy. The final scene depicts transparent, cloud-filled skyscrapers, a man in their midst. With its graceful majesty and mythic overtones, this unique and uplifting book is at once a portrait of a larger-than-life individual and a memorial to the towers and the lives associated with them.
Lukehart, W. (2003, November 1). The Man Who Walked between the Towers [Book]. School Library Journal Reviews, 125.

Suggested Library Use:
This book lends itself to a variety of activities.  You can use it to study the character traits of Petit or discuss the dangerous activities that take place making sure the students know that this was also illegal for Petit to do what he did.  The students could also do research on other dangerous activities people have undertaken.