Starring Mirette and Bellini [Hardcover]

Emily Arnold McCully (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 1997 | Age Level: 4 and up

Mirette and the Great Bellini sweep all of Europe with their act on the high wire, but when Bellini is arrested after a performance in St. Petersburg, Mirette is challenged to master the Death Walk to save him from prison, in the sequel to the Caldecott Medal-winning Mirette on the High Wire.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2. The young star of the 1992 Caldecott winner, Mirette on the High Wire (Putnam, 1992), is now a full-fledged partner of the great Bellini. Together, they perform incredible feats across Europe culminating in a series of backwards somersaults on the Eiffel Tower. There is, however, one more sequence that Bellini can teach?the Death Walk. While Mirette is still practicing it, they are invited to perform in St. Petersburg where they will cross the frozen Neva River. When Bellini exhorts the czar-oppressed crowds to work for freedom, he is arrested and it falls to Mirette to rescue him?using the Death Walk to reach his prison cell. The attempt is successful and back in the cozy comfort of Paris the two ponder the merits of a journey to Niagara Falls. McCully's technique is the same as in the previous title, watercolors in an impressionistic style. However, the strong use of white that the artist employed in Mirette on the High Wire to focus attention is not present in the sequel. Some double-page spreads are too hazy and the darkness of the night when Mirette is reaching out to Bellini does not adequately convey the desperate daring of the midnight rescue. Still, fans of Mirette will certainly enjoy this second outing.?Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-9. A sequel to Mirette on the High Wire (1992), this follows high-wire artist Bellini and his young protege, Mirette, across Europe, from Paris to St. Petersburg. The theme is freedom, played out on the stage of history, but with a personal slant that makes it more concrete and comprehensible to a young audience. After observing Russia's poor from the train and talking with friends about the widespread hunger, hopelessness, and czarist oppression, Bellini follows a well-attended high-wire performance with a statement of hope and freedom to the crowd. Soldiers immediately imprison Bellini. Mirette bravely walks a high wire in the darkness to set him free. Like the Caldecott Medal^-winning Mirette, this picture book features watercolor-and-pastel artwork in an impressionistic style. Scenes of Mirette and Bellini in close-up and on the wire are set against cityscape backdrops that include nineteenth-century Paris, Milan, and St. Petersburg. The night scenes, with their evocation of forms in darkness, are particularly dramatic. Children intrigued with Mirette will be pleased not only with her Russian adventure but also with the closing scene, which hints that she and Bellini may be crossing Niagara Falls in the near future. Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; F edition (April 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399226362
• ISBN-13: 978-0399226366
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #830,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Emily Arnold McCully was born left handed in Illinois and was transplanted to Long Island, where she grew up. A tree climber, bike rider, fort builder and ball player, she also devoted hours every day to reading and drawing. She majored in art history at college and acted and wrote for the theater. She lived in Europe for a year researching her Master's thesis, also in art history. Back in New York, she took to the streets with a portfolio of sample illustrations. Early assignments were for book jackets, magazine stories and pharmaceutical ads. A poster displayed in subway cars caught the attention of a children's book editor and a new career was launched. After illustrating other peoples' texts for several years and publishing two adult novels (A Craving and life Drawing) McCully began writing her own picture books.
She has been awarded the Caldecott Medal, Christopher Award, Jane Addams Award, O'Henry Award and many others.
She has two sons and lives in New York and Columbia County, N.Y., where she maintains a large garden.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Mirette Save Bellini!, May 26, 2008

By 

Lynn Ellingwood "The ESOL Teacher" (Webster, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Starring Mirette & Bellini (Picture Puffins) (Mass Market Paperback)

Mirette and Bellini go to St. Petersberg to perform there in Czarist Russia. Bellini speaks out on the treatment of the Serfs in Russia and is imprisoned. Can Mirette save him using the Death Walk?