Picture Book #2

Author: Mordicai Gerstein

Title:  The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

Illustrator: Mordicai Gerstein

Readability score: Pre- K to Grade 3

Genre: Non-fiction

Subgenre: Biography

Theme: Remembering the Twin Towers; Overcoming obstacles to follow your dreams.

Primary and secondary characters: Philippe Petit

Awards: Caldecott Winner 2004

Date of Publication:  2003

Publishing Company: Roaring Brook Press

ISBN number: 0-7613-1791-0

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers takes place in New York City  in 1974.  The main character is Philippe Petit who is a French man and a tightrope walker.  He performs in Central Park as a tightrope walker and juggler.  One day, Philippe decides that he wants to walk on a rope stretched between the World Trade Center Towers.  He must find a way to do this without the police finding out.  He and some friends climb the tower disguised as construction workers with a cable.  Once they make it to the top, Philippe and his friends set up the cable between the two buildings.  At dawn, Philippe begins his journey across the rope, high above the city.  He draws much attention from the people down below.  The police come to the roof, trying to get him to come back.  When he does, Philippe is arrested and tried.  The judge sentences him to perform in the park.  The book is concluded with a dedication to the Twin Towers which are no longer there.  

I would read this book to my students on September 11 or around that time as a way to teach the children about what happened on that day in our American history.  Most elementary school children now were not even born in 2001.  Therefore, they do not know importance of that day in our history and its implications on the world, even today.  I would read the book aloud to my students, checking throughout the reading for comprehension by asking questions.  I would incorporate a vocabulary lesson beforehand by going over and discussing words from the story, such as tightrope, cable, frantically, steeple, subway, sentence (verb), and performer.  Once I have read the story, I would ask the students about what happened in the book.  "Do you know why the towers aren't there anymore?"  "Can anyone tell me when the towers fell?" "Is this a true story?" "How do we know?"  I would discuss theme of the story as well.  We must remember the towers and what they represented to America.