The Man Who Walked Between the Towers: (Caldecott Medal Winner) (CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOK) - Hardcover

Mordicai Gerstein

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761317910 ISBN 13: 9780761317913

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2003

Synopsis

In 1974, French aerialist Philippe Petit threw a tightrope between the two towers of the World Trade Center and spent an hour walking, dancing, and performing high-wire tricks a quarter mile in the sky. This picture book captures the poetry and magic of the event with a poetry of its own: lyrical words and lovely paintings that present the detail, daring, and--in two dramatic foldout spreads-- the vertiginous drama of Petit's feat.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is the winner of the 2004 Caldecott Medal, the winner of the 2004 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Picture Books, and the winner of the 2006 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video.

About this title

About the Author:

Mordicai Gerstein is the author and illustrator of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, winner of the Caldecott Medal, and has had four books named New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year. His works include The Boy and the Whale, How to Bicycle to the Moon to Plant Sunflowers, and illustrations for Applesauce Season.

From AudioFile:

In 1974, Philippe Petit, a French aerialist and street performer, disguised himself as a construction worker and shot a strong wire from one tower of the World Trade Center to the other. In a death-defying dance, Petit crossed the 140 feet between the towers, a quarter of a mile above New York City. Petit was arrested and sentenced to perform for children in the parks. Gerstein's reading is congenial and disarming. His images are spare yet lyrical, magical and poetic; his performance, completely engaging. His understated delivery captures Petit's playful nature, his delight in imagining himself in the space between the towers, and his satisfaction at achieving the impossible. The closing somber words, "Now the towers are gone," create an indelible memory, part joy, part grief. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0761317910
• ISBN 13: 9780761317913
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 44