The Man Who Walked Between the Towers Paperback – Picture Book, April 17, 2007

This is a children's book, but I loved it! I recall when the event actually happened, so I purchased the book. I have always admired Phillipe Petit, and it was great to read his story. I passed the book along to my daughter and granddaughter, and they loved it too!

This is one of our all time favorite books. It does incredible justice to the tragedy of 9/11 by recalling the beauty and extraordinary grace of one moment the towers afforded. My daughter is much to young to be introduced to the disaster of 9/11. This allows an introduction to the idea of loss as a celebration of what once was. And the illustrations are fantastic.

While student teaching, I decided I wanted to pay a small tribute to 9/11/01 on its 8 year anniversary. Searching on amazon.com, I found this book simply be searching September 11. I had never heard of it and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. However, when I received the book, I was impressed. It does not focus on the day, instead it focuses on the towers. Before reading it to 19 3rd graders, I decided I was going to let them control the discussion. I did not have an ulterior motive; honestly I probably wanted to read the book more for myself than for the students, as they were a year old when it happened. They were captivated by the story of Phillipe and were amazed when they found out that it was true. Then we read the final two pages and they were ready to discuss the day. Some of the students knew a great deal about what happened and a few knew nothing. I gave them background of the day and they wanted more. Had it been my classroom and my time schedule, I could have discussed the day with them for a great deal of time. However, I reminded the students that we wanted to remember those who died and all of the heroes of the day instead of the "bad guys."I was pleasantly surprised by the book and am very glad that I bought it. I imagine myself using it for years to come in my own elementary classroom. For me, this story was a great way to talk about a sensitive topic.

This book is a true classic--not only does it preserve a singular event in the history of the Twin Towers,through its text and beautiful illustration, it also shares the wonder and beauty of achieving an impossible dream.Phillipe Petit, the man this book is about, once said, “The wirewalker of great heights is a dreamer. He stretches out on his cable and contemplates the sky. There he gathers his strength, recovers the serenity he may have lost, regains his courage and his faith.” Gernstein manages to share that dream, strength, and serenity with those of us who may never dance in the sky a quarter mile above the ground.

Our grandchildren fell in love with this book. We had it from the library and then purchased a used copy. As they opened the package and could see only about 3" of the spine, they yelled, "Phillipe Petit, Phillipe Petit!" They were fascinated with the true story of walking between towers, especially when Phillipe laid down on his wire and "danced" on his back with his balancing bar across his chest. A perfect book to capture reality with a happy ending (until the twin towers went down.) We are fortunate to have found this!

The illustrations were amazing and the story captivating, I would recommend to readers young and old. My kids and iron worker husband loved it.

This has so much meaning to those of us who lived through the 9/11 disaster. My husband and I collect Caldecott Medal winners & other beautifully illustrated books, and this is one of our favorites - always leaves us a little tearful at the end. And if you want to read the greatest first chapter ever written for a novel, read the beginning of "Let the Great World Spin" by Colum McCann - his (adult) description of the reaction on the street to this very same event is a miracle of the written word. Then you can read the rest of the book!

I guess this is the first time I am writing review for a kids book. Mostly I buy books for my son (now 4) from Amazon based on other users reviews and I saw this one doesn't have that many reviews so I share my experience:This is one of the most awe-inspiring book because it is not mythical, science fiction or folk-lore, it is real and written very well. I think my son can't understand the difference between this one an other stories, for him this is as real as others, but for me it was like a fresh breeze. Also, this is a story not everybody knows and the end of the book is a story for another time.I will say its brilliant for every age. I hope we get more books like these (real life untold stories)