PICTURE BOOKS - The Man Who Walked Between The Towers

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gerstein, Mordicai. 2003. THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS. Brookfield, CT: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 0761317910

PLOT SUMMARY
In this simple yet thoughtfully recounted story, Gerstein chronicles the aerial feat of Philippe Petit’s 1974 high wire walk between New York City’s famed Twin Towers. To begin with, a vividly illustrated flashback panel portrays Philippe’s background as a French aerialist who also walked a tight rope strung across the steeples of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The reader is introduced to Philippe’s spirited and determined nature: “If he saw three balls, he had to juggle. If he saw two towers, he had to walk. That’s how he was.” Gerstein continues to draw the reader into the story by tracing Philippe’s accomplishment from its inception to its dramatic conclusion. Philippe’s feat is even more astounding when one learns of the obstacles surmounted to achieve the traverse. Poetic justice prevails when Philippe is arrested after his hour of walking, dancing, and lying down on the high wire. He is sentenced to perform for the children of New York City as “punishment” for his infraction. The story concludes with a poignant reminder of the towers’ fall, but also a promise of a memory that will not fade.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The text of the story does an excellent job of detailing the events leading up to Philippe’s tower walk. Gerstein’s repeated use of numbers helps to convey the enormity of the feat (“a quarter of a mile high”, “one thousand three hundred and forty feet”, “a four-hundred-and-forty-pound reel of cable”, “one hundred and eighty stairs”, etc.). Composed of ink and oil paintings, the artwork sets the varying moods of the story. For example, Gerstein’s dark blues, blacks, greens, and purples work together to create a dark and ominous feeling, suggestive of all the obstacles faced by Philippe and his friends while preparing for the event. Conversely, the yellows and light blues that are prevalent as Philippe walks the wire at dawn reflect his sense of freedom, happiness, and accomplishment.

Gerstein’s striking use of line and perspective are particularly noticeable on the book’s two full-page foldouts. By his use of these visual elements, Gerstein allows the reader to vicariously experience the dizzying heights of the infamous walk between the towers. A final arresting tool is the use of negative space to make a subtle yet profound statement about the World Trade Center’s demise: “Now the towers are gone. But in memory, as if imprinted in the sky, the towers are still there.”

REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Winner of the 2004 Caldecott Medal
* BOOKLIST REVIEW: “Gerstein's simple words and dramatic ink-and-oil paintings capture the exhilarating feats, the mischief, and the daring of the astonishing young acrobat.”
* SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW: “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.”

CONNECTIONS
*Use the book’s multiple number references to enhance math and science skills. Allow youngsters to actively participate in measurement and observation activities. Through discovery learning, permit children to explore the distance represented by a quarter of a mile. How heavy is four hundred and forty pounds? What it is like to stand on something only seven-eighths of an inch thick?
*With the book’s emphasis on the World Trade Center Towers, it could be used as a discussion starter or lead-in to a lesson on the events of September 11, 2001.
*Other children’s books related to the World Trade Center or 9/11:
1) Kalman, Maira. FIREBOAT. ISBN 0142403628
2) Levy, Debbie. GREAT STRUCTURES IN HISTORY – THE WORLD
TRADE CENTER. ISBN 0737720719
3) Louis, Nancy. GROUND ZERO. ISBN 1577656571