Book Cover Image
Book Summary
In this non-fiction picture book, readers follow the story of Philippe Petit, a street performer, who was always looking for a
challenge. Upon coming to New York City, during the construction of the World
Trade Center, he set his sights on walking on a tightrope between the Twin
Towers. The story follows Philippe as he and friends set up the tightrope. Then
readers will get to walk across the wire and back again.
Written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein.
APA Reference of Book
Gerstein, M. (2003). The man who walked between the towers.
Brookfield, CT: Roaring Brook Press.
Impressions
I was mesmerized by the high-wire antics of Philippe. I didn’t
believe that it would be possible when he held up a wire and imagined walking
between the Twin Towers. Since younger students might not be able to visualize
the distance between two buildings that are no longer standing, Gerstein used
pull-out pages that allow readers to see both the distance between the towers
and the height above the ground. The colorful illustrations have an almost
mythical quality that allow readers to connect emotionally to the story. I am
captivated by one image in particular: the scene with the crowd, including a
police officer, pointing up to the top of the towers. I cannot look at the
picture without thinking back to September 11.
Professional Review
A spare recounting of Philippe Petit's daring 1974 wire walk
between the Twin Towers depicts him as a street performer who defies authority
to risk his feat, is arrested, and then sentenced to perform for the children
of New York. At the conclusion, on the only non-illustrated page are the stark
words, "Now the towers are gone," followed by the changed skyline and
finally by a skyline on which are etched the ghost-like shapes of the towers as
memory of the buildings and of Petit's exploit. At the heart are the spreads of
Petit on the narrow wire, so far above the city that Earth's curve is visible.
Two ingenious gatefolds draw readers' eyes into the vertiginous sweep of
wirewalker--sky and city below. Unparalleled use of perspective and
line--architectural verticals opposed to the curve of wires and
earth--underscore disequilibrium and freedom. In a story that's all about
balance, the illustrations display it exquisitely in composition. Readers of all
ages will return to this again and again for its history, adventure, humor, and
breathtaking homage to extraordinary buildings and a remarkable man. (Picture
book/nonfiction. 5+)
The man who walked between the
towers. (2003, August 1). Kirkus Reviews,
(15). Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/mordicai-gerstein/the-man-who-walked-between-the-towers/
Library Uses
This is a good book to introduce discussions about the
events on September 11. There are also math connections that can be made. The
first page of the book tells readers how tall the towers were. Students could
first translate the text into numerals. Then students could research the height
of other tall buildings around the world. Depending on the age of the students,
the buildings could be put in order from shortest to tallest, pairs of building
heights could be written using inequality symbols or subtraction could be used to
find the differences in building heights.
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