The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Irion Hoffmann
EDHD 222
Prof. Keightely
Caldecott medal winning book research paper-The man who walked between the towers
The Author
Mordicai Gerstein was born November 24, 1935 in Los Angeles. He attended the Chouinard Institute of Art before moving to New York City where he lived and worked for twenty-five years making animated films for television. He tells on his official website, that he never thought to be something else but a painter, when he grows up (http://www.mordicaigerstein.com). To support his family, he designed and directed animated television commercials. In the mid 1960's he made some films of his own until 1970, when he met Elizabeth Levy, who asked him to illustrate for a children’s book she has written. Encouraged by her and other editors, he started to write his own books in 1980s. In 2004, he received the Caldecott medal for his book “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.” Besides the Caldecott medal, he received numerous awards such as AJLA SidneyTaylor Award in 2005, Hornbook Award in 2004 and was chosen as the gold award winner of parents’ choice in 2002. His works include among others Sholom’s Treasure, What Charlie Heard, The Wild Boy, The Mountains of Tibet and many more. Mordicai Gerstein is also a painter, sculptor, and prize-winning designer and director of animated films. Mordicai Gerstein lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, Susan Yard Harris, who is also an illustrator, and their daughter, Risa (http://www.mordicaigerstein.com).
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Narrative Consideration
In 2003, Roaring Brook Press published Gerstein’s children’s book “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.” this story opens, French aerialist Philippe Petit is dancing across a tightrope tied between two trees to the delight of the passersby in Lower Manhattan. Gerstein places him in the middle of a balancing act, framed by the two unfinished World Trade Center towers when the idea hits: "He looked not at the towers, but at
EDHD 222
Prof. Keightely
Caldecott medal winning book research paper-The man who walked between the towers
The Author
Mordicai Gerstein was born November 24, 1935 in Los Angeles. He attended the Chouinard Institute of Art before moving to New York City where he lived and worked for twenty-five years making animated films for television. He tells on his official website, that he never thought to be something else but a painter, when he grows up (http://www.mordicaigerstein.com). To support his family, he designed and directed animated television commercials. In the mid 1960's he made some films of his own until 1970, when he met Elizabeth Levy, who asked him to illustrate for a children’s book she has written. Encouraged by her and other editors, he started to write his own books in 1980s. In 2004, he received the Caldecott medal for his book “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.” Besides the Caldecott medal, he received numerous awards such as AJLA SidneyTaylor Award in 2005, Hornbook Award in 2004 and was chosen as the gold award winner of parents’ choice in 2002. His works include among others Sholom’s Treasure, What Charlie Heard, The Wild Boy, The Mountains of Tibet and many more. Mordicai Gerstein is also a painter, sculptor, and prize-winning designer and director of animated films. Mordicai Gerstein lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, Susan Yard Harris, who is also an illustrator, and their daughter, Risa (http://www.mordicaigerstein.com).
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Narrative Consideration
In 2003, Roaring Brook Press published Gerstein’s children’s book “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.” this story opens, French aerialist Philippe Petit is dancing across a tightrope tied between two trees to the delight of the passersby in Lower Manhattan. Gerstein places him in the middle of a balancing act, framed by the two unfinished World Trade Center towers when the idea hits: "He looked not at the towers, but at