The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein

In 1974, Phillipe Petit had a goal: to walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center. It was a dream that many would call foolish at best and life-threateningly dangerous at worst. But Phillipe Petit was not like many people. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is the story of how he dared to do something that so many thought was impossible and how he captivated a city while doing it.

The book starts as if it was telling a fairy tale: "Once there were two towers side by side..." It would be easy to assume that this book won the Caldecott medal on the strength of post-9/11 emotion. I believe, though, that the illustration and style will stand the test of time. The images play with line, colour, and perspective and made me feel quite dizzy (but in a very powerful way). This might not be the book for people who are scared of heights, but for the right child this book could strike the right chord of history and adventure.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Man on Wire by Philippe Petit
September Roses by Jeanette Winter
A Book by Mordicai Gerstein
Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully