Yesterday in class, when we were going through different picture books at each table, our group started to discuss the book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, by Mordicai Gerstein. We contemplated what genre the book would be considered because it is about a man who actually walked on a wire between the twin towers, but we were not sure if everything in the book was fact. After looking at a few reviews, I have come to the conclusion that most people consider the book a true story.Another thing that my group was thinking about was whether or not the book was written before September 11th. At the end of the book, Gerstein mentions that the towers are no longer there and we wondering if those pages were added after 9/11 for marketing or other reasons. After class, I found out that the book was not published until 2003 and some people think that it can be used as a good way to introduce a serious topic, like 9/11, to children. It does not go into detail about the incident, but it would allow for children to ask questions and it may make it easier for parents or teachers to bring up such a serious subject. Since tomorrow is September 
11th, this may be a good book to read with any children who may realize that it is a significant day but are not really sure why.
11th, this may be a good book to read with any children who may realize that it is a significant day but are not really sure why.One more thing, Gerstein also wrote a highly praised book titled What Charlie Heard. This book is also about a real person, American composer Charles Ives. I have not read the book, but it sounds very interesting because its about making music and Gerstein translates noises that are usually heard into words.
2 comments:
After class last Tuesday, I continued to think about the book The Man Who Walked between the Towers! as well. After doing a little research about the book online, I stumbled upon a review of the book, which states the book is indeed a true story. Therefore it would be categorized in the genre of nonfiction.
Although this book is a story about a man named Philippe Petit, I also agree with you, that Mordicai Gerstein wrote this book to introduce a serious topic such as 9/11 to the young children that may not remember such a tragedy.
When reading this book, readers should pay close attention to the artwork. The colors in this book are very dull—maybe to represent the somber emotions felt after 9/11. Also, the twin towers appear to be very large in comparison to the rest of the pictures, which represents the significance of the twin towers.
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