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The Man Who Walked Between the Towers [Paperback]

Mordicai Gerstein
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 29, 2007 5 - 8 years480L (What's this?)
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.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This effectively spare, lyrical account chronicles Philippe Petit's tight rope walk between Manhattan's World Trade Center towers in 1974. Gerstein (What Charlie Heard) begins the book like a fairytale, "Once there were two towers side by side. They were each a quarter of a mile high... The tallest buildings in New York City." The author casts the French aerialist and street performer as the hero: "A young man saw them rise into the sky.... He loved to walk and dance on a rope he tied between two trees." As the man makes his way across the rope from one tree to the other, the towers loom in the background. When Philippe gazes at the twin buildings, he looks "not at the towers but at the space between them.... What a wonderful place to stretch a rope; a wire on which to walk." Disguised as construction workers, he and a friend haul a 440-pound reel of cable and other materials onto the roof of the south tower. How Philippe and his pal shang the cable over the 140-feet distance is in itself a fascinating-and harrowing-story, charted in a series of vertical and horizontal ink and oil panels. An inventive foldout tracking Philippe's progress across the wire offers dizzying views of the city below; a turn of the page transforms readers' vantage point into a vertical view of the feat from street level. When police race to the top of one tower's roof, threatening arrest, Philippe moves back and forth between the towers ("As long as he stayed on the wire he was free"). Gerstein's dramatic paintings include some perspectives bound to take any reader's breath away. Truly affecting is the book's final painting of the imagined imprint of the towers, now existing "in memory"-linked by Philippe and his high wire. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 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.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Age Range: 5 - 8 years
  • Paperback: 36 pages
  • Publisher: Square Fish; Reprint edition (March 29, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 031236878X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312368784
  • Product Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 0.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

The illustrations in the book accompany the text of the story quite well. tvtv3  |  29 reviewers made a similar statement
I have heard that very refrain from children time and time again while reading this book. Jessica Cameron  |  20 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
92 of 92 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars "This is a TRUE story, Miss Cameron?" June 8, 2004
Format:Hardcover
I have heard that very refrain from children time and time again while reading this book. In my Gypsy-like lifestyle of a substitute teacher, I took this book with me, knowing that it would enchant the students I had, no matter where I was. Every class I read this to was spellbound. They would gasp and stare and just could not believe that a REAL person ever did what Phillipe was doing! I had a first grader reach out to touch the sky under Phillipe on one spread, he was so enthralled. In a class of 29 very-hard-to-impress third graders that I was in for 6 weeks, we made a project out of it when they designed their own drawings on what they would walk between, because they were so inspired. During the reading, near the end, on the page that stated quietly "Now the towers are gone," I had very quiet acceptance of the missing towers. The author tells the story with such reverent delight (if it was ever possible to combine the two, Gerstein has) that children naturally fall in and accept the story as is. "The Man Who Walked Between The Towers" has become one of my favorite children's books and has earned a spot in my teaching "bag of tricks." It is very moving and inspiring, and highly deserving of the Caldecott Medal for 2004.
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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
On an otherwise normal day in August 1974, a young Frenchman pulled off what may be the most impressive (not to mention foolhardy) wire-walking exhibition in history. New York City's early commuters looked up to the almost-completed World Trade Center towers to see a man, experienced aerialist Phillippe Petit, walking back and forth across them on a wire. This amazing (albeit highly illegal) achievement has now been immortalized in impressive ink and oil paintings in Mordicai Gerstein in The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. Among the artwork you will find the ingenious use of two foldout illustrations, each one establishing an amazing change in perspective of Petit's wire-walking feat and making the drama of the event all that more palpable. Published in 2003 and the recipient of The Caldecott Medal, this book is sure to captivate many young minds with its story and artistry (with a sense of vertigo thrown in absolutely free of charge), and it does stand as something of a touching reminder of the two towers that fell on September 11, 2001 and the spell they cast in their own silent yet mighty fortitude.

Alongside the artwork is the story, economically told, of Petit's dream and the manner in which he made it come true. It describes how he and some friends dressed up as construction workers, hid out on both towers until nightfall, and got the wire-walking cable (which was a mere seven-eighths of an inch wide) in place, after which Petit walked, ran, danced, and even lay down on the outstretched wire over the course of nearly an hour. He was then, of course, arrested but, to my surprise, ordered only to perform his feats for the children of New York City.... Read more ›

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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A man, a plan, a tower May 4, 2004
Format:Hardcover
After the events of September 11 there was an odd movement on behalf of the children's book publishers to explain the event in picture book form for the benefit of the little ones. Some of these attempts verged on the callous (paper cut airplanes flying into paper cut buildings) while others were nice thoughts but ultimately raised more questions than they answered ("Fireboat", for example). In the case of Mr. Mordicai Gerstein, however, a happy medium was reached. Here is a book that is all about the Twin Towers, but it does not linger on their fate. A mere two years after the events of 9/11, this book is an eloquent and elegant elegy to a moment when the Twin Towers helped to bring the world a great deal of wonder and joy.

The story is based on the true tale of one Philippe Petit. A French aerialist, Petit was adept at juggling, unicycle riding, and (as it happened) tightrope walking. When construction finished on the Twin Towers in 1974, Petit happened upon the crazy notion of walking between them. The man was no stranger to such a stunt. He had, after all, walked between the towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral back in his native France. After asking the Tower's owners for permission, his request was quickly declined. To be allowed would fly in the face of a million safety regulations, after all. The quick thinking Petit reasoned that all that was left was to go ahead and do it anyway. Involving some friends, a construction disguise, and a four hundred and forty pound reel of cable, Petit successfully made it to the roof of one tower in the night and connected the line between the towers with help. Then, as the dawn broke, he did his famous walk across.
... Read more ›
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars My Students LOVED This Book! November 25, 2004
Format:Hardcover
I'm a special education resource teacher who works with struggling readers in small groups. I recently read "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers" as an instructional read-aloud to one group. They were absolutely fascinated, and these fifth and sixth graders who have reading difficulty were so engrossed in the story of Philippe Petit. They asked wonderful questions and eagerly tore into a post-reading writing assignment. The illustrations in this book, also by the author, are awe-inspiring. I can't recommend this book highly enough; it's fantastic and one of the best additions to my classroom library in a long time.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
I liked how the illustrator use ink & oil paint.
I also like how it is a true story and Philippe is brave!!!!!!!!
Published 12 days ago by mom of 3
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
I love this book and my son does too. I saw the film and this illustrated book is beautiful and tells the story well.
Published 1 month ago by Mari
5.0 out of 5 stars An, amazing story about an amazing feat
This book was a hit with my children, 6 and 9. The story interested them, and it led into a discussion about why the towers are gone, and of war (although this is not mentioned in... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Cath
5.0 out of 5 stars MY favorite book ever.
I loved it because it is interesting and very descriptive and well detailed and would recommend it to my friends.
Published 5 months ago by Sydney & Anna D'Andrea
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book
I bought this book for my son's 3rd grade class. Every child was enthrall end captivated by the story and artwork. I think it is appropriate for 1st through 4th grade.
Published 6 months ago by Running Gal
5.0 out of 5 stars good buy
I bought this because I was hoping to find them cheaper than they were in the stores. This was just as good as ordering from the company! I would recommend them to anyone.
Published 6 months ago by Jennifer Hurley
5.0 out of 5 stars Super example of an ideal picture book; captivating biography
Besides the captivating biography of Philippe Petit, the illustrations are perfect for teaching the elements of illustration. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Magothy
1.0 out of 5 stars Kindle edition doesn't download (Aug 2012)
Beware. Kindle edition results in a error upon download as of 18 August 2012. I returned the book. Sad. I hope this gets rectified so my child can experience this wondrous book.
Published 10 months ago by L. Bui
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is remarkable book based on realistic ficiton. It is about a man named Philippe who was daring enough to walk on a tightrope between two... Read more
Published 13 months ago by yvolegos12
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as expected
I bought this book as a gift. It is great book unfortunately the book was damaged on the corner when it arrived.
Published 14 months ago by Benedicte Wolfe
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