Author and Illustrator Mordecai Gerstein is a favorite in our house. His winning formula? Striking artwork, lyrical prose, and true stories!
“The Man Who Walked Between the Towers” is a creative re-telling of Philippe Petit’s unauthorized walk on a wire between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. Gerstein is a master writer, carefully choosing his words to maximize their potency. Awarded a Caldecott Medal in 2004, the dramatic narrative is sure to thrill the minds and imaginations of little ones.
WIN IT! One winner will receive a copy of “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers” ($6.99) by Mordecai Gerstein! To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Sunday, August 7 at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!” or “Love it” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.
* Thanks to Macmillan for providing two books – one for review and one for this giveaway.
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sblancarte says
September 10, 2013 at 2:36 pmAs a teacher, 9/11 can be quite tricky and traumatic to teach. Instead I expose children to the life of Philip Petit through documentaries, pictures, and video. I integrate science, history and P.E. For science, we build shorter versions of the twin towers, tie a high wire rope, and send snails across the wire. We study the anatomy of the snail. For P.E., we do all the tricks Phillip Petit did on a low beam: walking across, turning, lying down, etc. A book of Philip Petit would integrate literature into a very intriguing unit. 9/11 is my birthday. The book is a way to celebrate the towers that used to be.
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Rita M says
August 7, 2011 at 5:14 pmI would love to add this to my granddaughter’s growing collection of books.
Thanks for the opportunity.
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cass says
August 7, 2011 at 2:25 amI’d like this for Samantha to enjoy
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Shari Klyn says
August 6, 2011 at 9:12 pmBooks are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~Charles W. Eliot
I am so thankful that my children love to read.
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Eileen says
August 6, 2011 at 4:23 pmI’ve made it a point to start checking out your recommendations on children’s books from the library of late. Let me just say, you make great suggestions for children’s literature! I’m adding this M. Gerstein book to the list. For one, I KNOW the kiddos will enjoy it, but it will have a special meaning for me living in the NY/NJ area and still missing those structures from the NYC skyline.
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Stephanie says
August 11, 2011 at 9:04 amThank you for the compliment, Eileen. I am very selective about the books that I feature here – only the very best!
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Ed Nemmers says
August 6, 2011 at 2:40 pmThis is a great work for young people to read before viewing the film “Man On Wire”!
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Diane Baum says
August 6, 2011 at 11:59 amThe illustrations are awesome-thank you for a chance
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Z-Dad says
August 5, 2011 at 4:31 amI love Mordicai Gerstien! We’d be thrilled to own this one – thanks for the chance!
zenzart at hotmail dot com
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Karen says
August 5, 2011 at 3:13 amI have been thinking about adding this book to our elementary school collection. I have been trying to fill in the gaps and collect all of the Newbury and Caldecott award winners and honor books. This looks like a particularly good add, particularly in the wake of 9/11.
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LaurenS says
August 4, 2011 at 9:12 pmthere’s a documentary on this guy at my library that i want my kids to see. the book would be cool too
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amanda says
August 3, 2011 at 3:54 pmthis brings back memories from 9-11 and how this story wouldn’t be possible to replicate today. kind of bone chilling when you think about it.
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Mike Dougherty says
August 3, 2011 at 7:57 amMy kids love this book. We’ve read it a number of times. The kids learned a bit more about the WTC and have some historical perspective when they see the 9-11 stories, clips.
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Tobster says
August 2, 2011 at 5:39 pmI love finding new books to read to my daughter. I can’t help but wonder how this being about the World Trade Center will affect my reading of it. It will be some time before my daughter will understand that it was a real place, much less what happened there.
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Marcela says
August 2, 2011 at 12:58 pmThe documentary was great! Isn’t it amazing that one person could actually do this…
Would love to read this to the kids!
Also, I usually read you via rss feed but wanted to come say Hi! I love your new blog look!
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Michelle says
August 2, 2011 at 7:37 amThe documentary was amazing, just an incredible story.
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abby says
August 2, 2011 at 7:34 amI haven’t read this book, however I LOVED the documentary of it. I’ll definitely have to check it out from the library…unless I should win my very own copy that is. :)
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Tiffany says
August 2, 2011 at 1:30 amI’m familiar with the story, itself, but had no idea that a children’s book had been written about it. Sounds great! Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
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Sammi says
August 1, 2011 at 2:10 pmI saw the movie based on his life – it was very good, and this book looks super interesting
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Sarah says
August 1, 2011 at 12:13 pmWe are looking to build a little library for our little one due to arrive in January. Would love to add to it!
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erin says
August 1, 2011 at 9:29 amOooo! I’ve never seen these books, but now I must! I just checked my library catalog & they don’t have any of his books. Boo! Thanks for sharing this with us!
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Stephanie says
August 3, 2011 at 7:10 pmCan you request that the library order copies? I highly recommend this book (Also – “What Charlie Heard” by the same author).
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valerie says
August 1, 2011 at 8:47 amPINK ME PLEASE
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Amy says
August 1, 2011 at 7:14 amThose illustrations are gorgeous. I’m building up our library for DD (3 months old) & love to have books that are both well written & beautifully illustrated.
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Jenn says
August 1, 2011 at 5:11 amThe kids and I really enjoy these true stories that are told and illustrated so well!
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EMMA L HORTON says
August 1, 2011 at 4:55 amI WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS TO READ TO MY GRANDSON
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Vanessa says
July 31, 2011 at 10:53 pmOh I love the illustration in that book! I bet it is a good read too!
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Jessicah says
July 31, 2011 at 10:10 pmI loved the documentary about him. (Man on Wire is the title I think.) It’d be awesome to have a kid’s version of the story.
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JENNYM says
July 31, 2011 at 6:40 pmmy oldest would be fascinated as we’ve been talking about the biggest things lately!
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Becca says
July 31, 2011 at 5:44 pmWe checked out three Mordecai Gerstein books from the library after your review of “What Charlie Heard.” That was my kid’s favorite of the three, but I preferred “Sparrow Jack.” We haven’t read this one about the tight-rope walker, but I’m sure we’d love it!
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Heidi says
July 31, 2011 at 5:32 pmI have been wanting to get this book ever since I heard about it. My children would adore listening to me read it at night before bedtime, we always read a book together.
meek_heidi@yahoo DOT com
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Lizze Norlander says
July 31, 2011 at 5:20 pmI have really started enjoying reading non-fiction and reality-based books to my 2-year old – kind of the early intro to homeschooling ;-)